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- Dr. Marlo Swanepoel
A muscle cramp is a sudden and involuntary contraction of one or more of your muscles. Though generally harmless, muscle cramps can make it temporarily impossible to use the affected muscle. They are extremely common, particularly in the legs, feet and hands and at times the abdomen and ribcage. Generally, a cramp can last from a few seconds to minutes. Long periods of exercise or physical activity, particularly in hot weather, can lead to muscle cramps. They may affect any age and may also occur at rest. Causes of muscle cramps may be classified as: o Physiologic - Dehydration causing electrolyte imbalance - Overuse - Nocturnal (night cramps) - Pregnancy o Metabolic - Malnutrition – Deficiencies in B vitamins., magnesium, calcium and vitamin D - Underactive thyroid gland - Liver disease - Kidney disease o Medicine induced - Diuretics - Statins o Pathologic - Various neurological conditions and myopathic including stroke, Parkinson’s etc Why cramps occur is not always clear and the cause is not always clearly understood. Some theories of muscle cramps include: o Electrolyte disturbances affecting the contraction and relaxation of muscles, caused by exercise, overuse or some medication o Neural fatigue caused by overuse o Neurological disorders causing hyperexcitability of the nerves innervating the muscles. o Inadequate circulation causing a lack of oxygen and nutrients and a build-up of metabolic waste products. o Nerve root compression Treatment strategies o Ensure adequate fluid and electrolyte intake o Ensure adequate mineral intake o Ensure proper acid-alkaline balance o Stimulate peripheral circulation Diet strategies to improve and prevent cramps o Unrefined sea salt o Potassium: found in fruit and vegetables, especially bananas, sweet potatoes, avocadoes, green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds etc o Calcium: dairy foods, nuts and seeds, green leafy vegetables o Magnesium: green leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes, raw cacao Supplements that support Muscle Cramps o Magnesium – ensure that calcium to magnesium ratio does not exceed 2:1 esp if takin calcium supplements o Potassium o CoQ10 – especially if using statin medication o L-Arginine – vasodilator, be cautious is on blood pressure medication or if you suffer from low blood pressure Herbal support o Spasmolytic – ginger, crampbark, valerian o Circulatory stimulant, peripheral vasodilator – 78ginkgo, ginseng Physical measures o At first sign of cramp, stop and stretch muscle o Apply heat to cramping muscles o Ensure adequate fluid and electrolyte replacement when exercising If your muscle cramps are chronic or excessive related to the level of activity or do not resolve with the common treatment methods then further investigation by a health care professional is required.
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-By Dr. Marlo Swanepoel
Diabetes mellitus (aka sugar diabetes as called by many south Africans) is a metabolic disorder in which the body becomes resistant to the effect of insulin or where the body does not produce enough of insulin. Therefore, there is a build-up of glucose (sugar), in the body. This excess glucose can lead to serious health complications. During 2016 and 2017, Diabetes was the second leading underlying cause of death in South Africa and the number one cause of death in females. It was estimated that 4.58 million people between the ages 20 and 79 years old suffered with diabetes in South Africa in 2019. There was a rapid increase in the prevalence of diabetes, from 4.5% in 2010 to 12.7% in 2019. This caused South Africa to be named the unhealthiest county in the world in 2019. This in turn lead to the sugar tax being implemented and increased by the South African Government in order to fight the global Diabetes pandemic. Types of Diabetes Mellitus There are two main types of Diabetes Mellitus:
Testing for Diabetes Doctors will do a blood test to measure HbA1C levels. This stands for glycated haemoglobin. This test measures how well the body controls glucose over a period of 120 days, which is the lifespan of a red blood cell. Red blood cells contain haemoglobin. This protein is responsible for carrying oxygen. Once haemoglobin binds to glucose it becomes glycated. The higher the blood glucose levels the higher the number of glycated red blood cells would be thus the higher the HbA1C level. Normal HbA1C levels should be less than 5.7%. People are diagnosed with Diabetes if their HbA1C levels are higher than 6.5%. Complications of Diabetes
Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes Mellites Progressing from prediabetes to diabetes isn’t certain. Some risk factors like age, sex and genetics may not be altered but this does not mean it will cause or lead to diabetes. As mentioned before Type 2 Diabetes is mainly caused by lifestyle. How to reduce the risk
If you missed it, herewith a recording of my talk with Dr. Hema Kalan about acute childhood illnesses. Dr. Marike de Klerk Pomegranate is called the jewel of the fruits, not only because the seeds look like small gems, but also because of all the incredible health benefits.
- Antioxidant- it is rich in polyphenols that reduces the free radicals that can damage the body. - Nutrient boost- it contains an abundance of Vit E, Vit C, Vit K and magnesium. -Cancer prevention- polyphenols prevents the growth of cancer cells especially in the prostate, liver, lungs and skin. -Alzheimers- prevents the formation of amyloid plaques in the hippocampus. - Digestion- it reduces inflammation in IBD. - Inflammatory conditions- it reduces inflammation . - Arthritis- acts as an anti inflammatory and antioxidant. - Heart- it reduces systolic blood pressure and protects heart and arteries. -Antimicrobial - anti viral and anti bacterial activity - Memory- it improves learning and memory - Endurance and sport performance- it increases performance and post recovery rate. - Sexual performance and fertility- helps with spermatic dysfunction and increases mobility of the sperm - Wound healing- external application  New research suggests constant bitterness can make you ill.
What is bitterness? It is anger, resentment, and disappointment at being treated unfairly. Bitterness can be based on one incident or life circumstances. According to psychologist Dr. Carsten Wrosch, persistent bitterness, when strong enough could affect your health. “When harbored for a long time,” Wrosch said, “bitterness may forecast patterns of biological dysregulation (a physiological impairment that can affect metabolism, immune response or organ function) and physical disease.” “In order to deal with bitter emotions there is something required to enable a person to overcome the negative emotion — that something is forgiveness,” said Wrosch. The first step to overcoming bitterness is to have forgiveness. Some people have definitely experienced some profound events in their life and have every reason to be bitter. However, this emotion does not hurt your offender. It only hurts you. When you forgive, the offending person or situation no longer has power in your life. Bitterness and associated diseases There is evidence to show that suppressed anger (bitterness) can be a stimulant to the development of cancer, and also a factor in the progression of the cancer after diagnosis. Anger (bitterness) frequently accompanies autoimmune diseases. Proneness to anger (bitterness) places middle-aged men and women at significant risk for Coronary Heart Disease. Anger (bitterness) initiates the stress response within the body causing blood sugar levels to rise. It is wise to keep this in mind when your health is deteriorating due to no other known factors or when you get a diagnosis for a disease that is a mystery. Setting yourself free from this emotional burden may just be a life saver.... How I maintain a healthy hormonal status. I am 48 years old and nearing my peri- menopausal stage. My philosophy has always been that if I can maintain a menstrual cycle, my hormones will remain active and “change of life" will be delayed until an appropriate time. So far so good. Mercifully my plan has worked and I remain asymptomatic. This is what I attempt to do. 1. Liver Detoxification. Your liver plays an integral role in detoxifying many toxins and substances including any excess of hormones. Hormones are produced by the body and where there is excess of a hormone, it needs to be eliminated to keep the balance of all the hormones accurate. I take a liver detoxification aid on a daily basis. I combine this with a diet abundant in vegetables from the cruciferous family (cabbage, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts) to aid detoxification. 2. Vitamin D. This vitamin is classed as a prohormone. It plays an active role in regulating hormone levels. I keep my levels in the optimal range by taking 5000ius daily 3. Chaste tree. This incredible little berry has the ability to regulate estrogen and progesterone levels and to keep them in the correct ratio of 1:10. A lot of unpleasant hormonal symptoms arises from having a level of estrogen that is too high. Chaste tree will boost progesterone levels in a natural way. I take one tablet daily. 4. Good fats All the hormones in your body is manufactured from good fats that you get from your diet. I make sure that I consume enough good plant fats daily to keep my levels optimal. I include the following good fat sources in my diet: avocados, nuts and seeds, coconut oil and cream, good plant oils like avocado or other nut oils and fish. For assistance with your hormones please contact Naturopathic health care centre on 012 460 9216.  Are you struggling to fall pregnant? Disappointed by recurrent miscarriages? Being diagnosed with PCOS? A new programme, Supreme Fertility uses DNA testing to address the root cause of couples struggling to conceive. This, together with a fertility consultation, lifestyle guidance and the right supplementation is helping couples to become the healthiest that they can be in order to fall pregnant naturally. A staggering 50% of infertility cases are caused by genetic issues which is why, instead of generalised treatment, Supreme Fertility will do DNA tests on couples to find out more about their genetic makeup and ability to conceive. With DNA as a starting point, doctors are swiftly able to identify possible genetic weaknesses and biological challenges and prescribe a course of treatment using this valuable information. Supreme Fertility provides an affordable six-month programme, including DNA testing for both partners with unexplained infertility, PCOS, endometriosis, or with a personal or family history of infertility and/or miscarriages, and when physical causes of infertility have been excluded, or before trying in vitro fertilization (IVF). The ideal time to do this is preconception, to ensure the optimal health of both parents. Supreme Fertility equips patients with an understanding of infertility linked to female factors such as recurrent miscarriages, implantation failure, and the potential genetic causes of these, such as disrupted circadian rhythms, retaining heavy metals, endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, uterine fibroids and more. By providing a list of screenings, one is able to determine if any of these are evident. In this way, further obstacles to falling pregnant are eliminated. For males, genes can shed light on why they may experience low sperm motility, low sperm count, sperm DNA damage or hormonal imbalances. The programme also provides suggested solutions to help manage or overcome these. Supreme Fertility builds on exactly that and enables both the mother and father to improve their health and well-being in order to increase their chances of natural conception. The programme includes lifestyle guidance and supplementation for both potential parents in order to help them conceive. Many over-the-counter vitamins can greatly benefit the process if taken from the onset of trying to conceive. A specific set are recommended. Prenatal vitamins almost always include folic acid, an essential nutrient that helps prevent devastating birth defects. However, what is not so well known is that approximately 50% of individuals’ bodies are unable to convert folic acid into folate, the form needed for it to be effective. Supreme Fertility has launched a folate supplement to address this vital concern. This is merely one example of the solutions proposed by the programme. Because eating is such an important part of equipping the body with the strength to conceive, a recommended eating plan is included for both him and her. This programme not only suggests what to eat, and what not to eat, but also makes recommendations about individual micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) to ensure that the body can redirect this energy. Lifestyle changes such as the use of cell phones, laptops, air filtration, stress levels and an optimal BMI (body mass index) are recommended as part of this unique programme. Additionally, a recommended detoxification of one’s house, food and personal care products as well as what to look out for on labels, are included. And while the adage “self-care” is often used loosely, Supreme Fertility specifies and emphasises the importance of this in specific ways. The Supreme Fertility program is now available through us. Email us on info@nahcc.co.za to find out more today.  Our children are in a state of mental health emergency.
Dr. M de Klerk Even before the pandemic, by the time kids are 18, almost 1 in 2 are diagnosed with any mental health disorder. Even before the pandemic, suicide was the 2nd leading cause of death in our youth ages 10-24 years, only second to unintentional injury, and far above influenza-related deaths. Children 10-14 years old are 13X more likely to die by suicide than influenza & for teens 15-19 that number climbs to 27X. Even during the pandemic, injury & suicide remained the top 2 causes of death among children & teens, and yes - even higher the pediatric deaths from COVID-19. In the winter of 2020, ER visits for suicide attempts by children ages 12-17 jumped almost 40% compared with the pre-pandemic winter of 2019. As we grapple with how this pandemic will end, let’s not forget that the epidemic of childhood anxiety & depression has been raging unchecked. We might think that only adults are burdened by this pandemic, financially and emotionally, but please do not disregard the effect on our children. Just because they can not vocalize their fears and worries like we do, we should not simply glance over their distress. Talk to them, make sure they know that you support them. And love them..... If they need extra support, natural functional medicine offers wonderfull effective treatments to support them on various levels.  How to Manage your Anxiety Now
- Green Tea Instead of Coffee L-theanine is an amino acid that promotes a sense of calm and happens to be high in green tea. If you feel more anxious with coffee or between meals, rather stop the coffee and opt for some green tea instead. L-theanine is typically taken at 200 mg twice daily in supplement form. - Taurine Taurine is a precursor to GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter that most people with anxiety are low in. The general starting dose is about 500 mg daily. - Passiflora Passiflora encourages healthy levels of GABA and can help ease anxiety. It is very useful to carry with you, and when you feel the anxiety bubbling up, take a recommended dosage. - Practice your deep breathing Whenever you feel overwhelmed, take 5 deep breaths. This will reset your active stressed nervous system into a more peaceful state. Try and do this several times a day to prevent you from getting to a full on panicked state Healing anxiety and depression through functional medicine removes the need for pharmaceutical management of your mood. Finding and treating the root cause can take time, but hopefully your practitioner can investigate and find the cause and put you on the path to healing. If you need any help with your anxiety or depression, please do not hesitate to contact us. Dr. M de Klerk Nutritional deficiencies might contribute or even be the cause of your depression and anxiety.11/25/2021 Nutritional deficiencies might contribute or even be the cause of your depression and anxiety. Dr. M de Klerk Nutrient deficiencies are a lot more common than you might think. If you have a digestive tract that does not work properly, your ability to absorb nutrients will be less and you will become deficient quicker. Being on a restrictive diet of any kind for too long, for example veganism, vegetarianism, keto, or autoimmune protocol, can put you at risk for deficiencies. Having a varied diet from all the food groups is essential. If you’re taking a nutrient depleting medication like the birth control pill, places you at an increased risk for nutrient deficiencies. Medication that block acid, like PPIs and Tums, as well as those used in diabetics can create nutrient deficiencies that can manifest as anxiety and depression as well. Nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, B6, Inositol, folate, B12, copper, zinc, magnesium, and vitamin D have a direct impact on mood and are common deficiencies in people. Additionally, if you have any issues with protein absorption you will be deficient in the amino acids your body needs to make neurotransmitters. How to Heal Nutrient Deficiencies Have Appropriate Lab Testing The following blood tests will give you indication of what you are deficient in: • CBC • Ferritin • Vitamin D • Magnesium • B12 • Folate • Homocysteine • And others as needed Adopt a Whole Foods Diet On top of optimizing gut health and absorption, you’ll also need to focus on a nutrient dense diet. Eat colorful, fresh foods in abundance. In my next article I will discuss ways that you can improve your depression and anxiety in the interim while your practitioner works on identifying the root cause.   Nutrient Deficiencies
Dr. M de Klerk Nutrient deficiencies are a lot more common than you might think. If you have a digestive tract that does not work properly, your ability to absorb nutrients will be less and you will become deficient quicker. Being on a restrictive diet of any kind for too long, for example veganism, vegetarianism, keto, or autoimmune protocol, can put you at risk for deficiencies. Having a varied diet from all the food groups is essential. If you’re taking a nutrient depleting medication like the birth control pill, places you at an increased risk for nutrient deficiencies. Medication that block acid, like PPIs and Tums, as well as those used in diabetics can create nutrient deficiencies that can manifest as anxiety and depression as well. Nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, B6, Inositol, folate, B12, copper, zinc, magnesium, and vitamin D have a direct impact on mood and are common deficiencies in people. Additionally, if you have any issues with protein absorption you will be deficient in the amino acids your body needs to make neurotransmitters. How to Heal Nutrient Deficiencies Have Appropriate Lab Testing The following blood tests will give you indication of what you are deficient in: • CBC • Ferritin • Vitamin D • Magnesium • B12 • Folate • Homocysteine • And others as needed Adopt a Whole Foods Diet On top of optimizing gut health and absorption, you’ll also need to focus on a nutrient dense diet. Eat colorful, fresh foods in abundance. Gut Health & ANXIETY by M de Klerk “Fire in the gut means fire in the brain.” Or in other words, if your gut is inflamed then your brain will be definitely too. Infections like SIBO, bacterial dysbiosis, parasites, yeast overgrowth, and H. pylori can be one cause of inflammation. Leaky gut and food sensitivities can also be a source of inflammation. As you can imagine, having brain inflammation makes us irritable, angry and anti-social. All your calm and happy inducing neurotransmitters are also decreased, leaving you to feel anxious and depressed. Your Gut Makes Serotonin About 400 times more serotonin is found in your gut than your brain to be exact. WOW! So it would appear that your gut may be the main centre of neurotransmitter synthesis and not your brain. Which makes sense why when you heal someone’s gut their mood gets better. How to Heal Your Gut? 1. Have Lab Testing Completed Having some labs done for your Gut could be beneficial. Your health care practitioner will be able to guide you here. 2. Removing Stressors Identify and remove any stressors that could be contributing to poor gut health. Here are two big areas to start with. 3. Unnecessary Medications. Remove NSAIDs, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), unnecessary antibiotics, and birth control. Talk with your doctor before discontinuing meds. 4. Life Stressors. Like we mentioned above, chronic stress can actually change the makeup of your microbiome. It also disrupts the HPA-axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal), which affects pretty much all the hormones in your body. 5. Food stressors Remove foods from your diet that is know to cause irritation and inflammation in your intestines. Most people are sensitive to wheat, dairy, sugar and soya. Add Fermented Vegetables and fibre to your diet. This is a great way to begin getting some beneficial bacteria going in your gut! Raw, cultured, organic vegetables like pickles, sauerkraut, and other fermented vegetables like beets and carrots can promote the growth of good bacteria in the gut. In the case of SIBO or yeast overgrowth, we avoid these foods until infection is resolved. Your doctor will be able to guide you here. Bacteria need food to grow and thrive. Vegetables contain lots of fibre and will promote healthy growth. Image Source: motherhoodcommunity.com /the-gut-brain-connection  OCTOBER is MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH
by Dr. M de Klerk Anxiety is so common that I am sure that you know someone who has had or currently has anxiety. Perhaps you are suffering from anxiety and you are trying to understand why this has happened to you. You are probably also exploring different options to make your anxiety better. The conventional perspective on anxiety is perhaps too simplified —myou have a neurotransmitter imbalance and you need a medication to re-establish that balance. This treatment may work, but not always. This assumes that you are broken and the only fix is a pharmaceutical drug that you might have to take for many years. And if you’ve chosen a medication to manage your symptoms—you have done nothing wrong. In my next article I would like to offer you some tools to help you manage your symptoms…and maybe even kick the anxiety for good. Dr. M de Klerk
In functional medicine we would rather try to identify the root cause of anxiety and then treating this body system/s. It’s like having a thorn in your foot—do you remove the thorn or just take the painkillers to shut the body up? Healing anxiety with functional medicine means figuring out why you have the symptoms in the first place, while also offering you some relief and tools to manage the anxiety in the day to day. 3 Common causes of anxiety- 1. HPA dysfunction and adrenal weakness 2. Compromised GUT health 3. Nutrient deficiencies 1. HPA Dysfunction & Adrenal weakness The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) is what controls our response to stress and is why we fight, take flight or freeze when threatened with danger. This is a very good system and will save your life when threatened, but in our daily lives where our lives seems to be threatened constantly, our ancestral brain cannot understand this and it freaks out.... causing anxiety. What happens when there is chronic stimulation of the stress system? We see a change in the production of cortisol, DHEA, pregnenolone and even progesterone. This in turn alters our neurotransmitters, brain hormones. When unbalanced, some of these hormones causes panic, and the ones that are supposed to keep us calm is deficient. But it isn’t just mental or emotional stress that can unbalance the HPA axis… Inflammation stemming from chronic disease, hormone imbalances, infections etc can cause a disruption in the HPA axis. And as the system becomes more and more imbalanced, inflammation increases, creating a vicious cycle that can keep you in a state of panic. Common Hidden Causes of Inflammation: • Autoimmune disease • Gut infections • Chronic viral infections • Blood sugar imbalances • Oestrogen dominance • Insomnia and sleep disruption How to Heal the HPA Axis 1.Work with an Expert If you’ve got serious HPA dysfunction then you’re going to need to partner with an expert to treat the root and rebalance the system. 2.Reduce Stress -Meditate. You do not need to practice yoga or even have a mat. Just close your eyes for 5-10 minutes daily and focus on your breath. Feel yourself inhaling and exhaling completely. Relax in your chair and let yourself spend a few minutes away from whatever is bringing you stress. Be Present. Take a moment to look around you and without judgement, take it all in. This is the practice of mindfulness. Being present in moment can help decrease anxiety, stress and depression. Try to spend at least 5 minutes a day just observing the life that surrounds you. Move Your Body. Even if it is a walk around the office. Movement will allow you to release tension from the body, increase oxygen to your brain and counter what that nasty stress hormone, cortisol, is doing to your body. Reinforce Circadian Rhythm This is the natural sleep/ wake cycle that your adrenals and mood love. Do this every day! 1. Expose yourself to natural light upon waking. 2. Wear amber glasses 2 hours before bed. This will drop cortisol and raise melatonin…what your body should be doing at this time. 3. Sleep in a completely dark room. No light. No exceptions cellphones or charger lights. In my next article we will talk about Gut health and how it impacts on your mood. Image Source: <a href='https://www.freepik.com/vectors/design'>Design vector created by freepik - www.freepik.com</a> Following on from my previous article (http://www.naturopathichealthcarecentre.co.za/.../how-to...) where we discussed the workings of the parasympathetic nervous system, here are a few strategies to help restore the balance.
Here are 11 strategies that you can use to stimulate your Vagus nerve and to promote a more restful parasympathetic state: 1) Breathwork- diaphragmatic breathing Place one hand on your stomach and the other hand on your chest. As you breathe in, feel your stomach expand, and when you exhale, your stomach should go back down. This is also known as “belly breathing.” This lowers your heart rate and blood pressure. 2) Connection Community and belonging help you to feel safe and secure. When you are connected, you are calmer and more positive. 3) Diving Reflex To stimulate the diving reflex, you need cold exposure. You can splash cold water on your face or put ice cubes in a ziploc bag against it. According to Dr. Arielle Schwartz, “The diving reflex slows your heart rate, increases blood flow to your brain, reduces anger and relaxes your body.” 4) Humming, Singing or Gargling Don’t you always feel better when you start to hum or sing? Your worries are swept away by a song. Well, that’s because it’s activating your vagus nerve! Simply sing to feel better or gargle if you prefer. 5) Probiotics It is clear to researchers that gut bacteria improve brain function by activating the vagus nerve.” 6) Omega 3 Fatty Acids You can get these from fish oil, or if you’re a vegan, you can find them in chia seeds, flaxseed, hemp seed oil and walnuts. 7) Mindfulness and Meditation According to a study, Loving-Kindness-Meditation created a healthy vagal tone in participants. Check out this guide for how to do this mediation here, and know that mindfulness in general is a way to activate your vagus nerve as well. Being present centers you. Yoga Yoga is a parasympathetic activation exercise that helps with digestion, blood flow and more. 9) ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) ASMR sends “tingles” from your scalp down your spine and helps calm your nervous system with the use of triggers or tools. This entails whispering, scratching, tapping and other noises that pull you into a trance. There are many on Youtube. 10) ‘OM’ Chanting If you want to activate your vagus nerve, a great way to do it is by chanting “OM” over and over again. This is often used in yoga, mantras and different faiths such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Whether you perceive it as a spiritual practice or just a meditation practice, it helps to calm you and create inner peace. Studies have shown that this creates greater relaxation. 11) Positive Self-Talk Christopher Bergland says he uses Cora Harris’s mantra to stimulate his vagus nerve, “The bravest thing you can do when you are not brave is to profess courage and act accordingly.” This produces positive self-talk even when you are feeling afraid. Dr Marike de Klerk Dr. M de Klerk
Your parasympathetic nervous system is the system that puts your body in a restful state. In opposition to this is the sympathetic nervous system that triggers the secretion of adrenaline and puts you in a more stressed state. Your nervous system regulates your immune system and keeps inflammation in check. This means that the more you stimulate the parasympathetic branch of your autonomic nervous system, the more you can support your immune health, control stress levels and reduce inflammation. The Vagus nerve is the biggest and most important nerve in your parasympathetic nervous system. Stimulating your Vagus nerve helps to activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which helps and supports healthy immune function. Just as your car has a gas pedal and brakes, your nervous system has two speeds. The sympathetic fight-or-flight branch automatically helps you accelerate and avoid danger or provides a burst of energy to combat perceived dangers – like stress, injury or infection. In response to danger, your sympathetic state activates the fight-or-flight response and triggers your body’s immune system to react instantaneously, releasing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline through your body. Your heart rate and blood pressure increase, and digestion slows or stops altogether, as blood is routed away from your internal organs toward your limbs in preparation to fight or flee. Your respiratory rate increases to transport nutrients and oxygen to the cells faster. Your muscles tense and blood vessels in the extremities constrict, sweating increases and if there is an injury or infection, the area becomes inflamed. Inflammation kicks your immune system into high gear to protect you from more damage so it can heal. During the inflammation process, blood vessels in the area of the damage or infection widen and release more immune system cells into the surrounding tissue. Inflammation is supposed to be short term. Once the stress, injury or infection has been adequately addressed, your body is designed to shift back into the parasympathetic state of the nervous system, so your body can relax and your immune system shifts back into balance. Your parasympathetic nervous system counterbalances your sympathetic nervous system by calming and relaxing the body. It slows your heart rate, reduces inflammation and prevents the immune system from overreacting and over responding. Your parasympathetic nervous system TURNS ON your immune processes, allowing your body to fight pathogens, bacteria, fungus, parasites, viruses and infections. In contrast, your sympathetic “fight or flight” nervous system triggers the release of stress hormones that decreases your immune system function to prioritize immediate survival. This reduces your ability to fight off pathogens, making you more susceptible to pathogens and chronic infections. This can create a viscous cycle as chronic infections put you into an inflamed state which further triggers the sympathetic nervous system. We know how detrimental a overstimulated sympathetic nervous system can be to the body, damaging and depressing immune system. In the next article we will explore what can bedone to balance your nervous system. Dr. M de Klerk
If you have too little pancreatic enzymes, you will not be digesting and absorbing fats. You may have digestive upsets as well as other symptoms such as low energy and increased cravings for starches. This will be because fats, that are a more sustained source of energy in your body, will be undigested and not absorbed for energy usage. Symptoms of fat malabsorption syndrome:
Symptoms of deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E and K Vitamin A deficiency
Vitamin D deficiency
Vitamin E deficiency
Vitamin K deficiency:
In the next article we will discuss what you can do to improve your fat digestion, without taking a supplement.  1. Vitamin D There is an indisputable relation between vitamin D and the immune system. Vitamin D stimulates the innate as well as adaptive immune system, enabling your immune system to activate for quick fighting, as well as a slower immune response that is more specialized. One finds some vitamin D in food sources, but minimally. Our bodies do manufacture Vitamin D on exposure to sunshine, but this also seems to be insufficient. This results in an average of around 50% of a population deficient in this especially important hormone. It becomes essential to supplement with this vitamin, especially during winter months when more infections are prevalent. Please make sure that your supplement is Vit D3 or cholecalciferol and that it is clean and of good quality. 2. Vitamin C This vitamin contributes to strengthening the immune defense. It protects the mucous membranes against invasion from bacteria and viruses and activates the killer cells to eradicate pathogens. We cannot make our own vitamin C and we need to obtain it from our diets, mainly from fruits and vegetables. The standard diet does not contain enough of this vitamin and supplementation becomes essential especially during winter months when there are more viral diseases. 3. Zinc This mineral supports the active and passive immune system. Zinc needs to be taken daily as the body has no specialized zinc storage system. 4. Selenium Deficiencies of this mineral may contribute to a decreased immune function, especially to viral infections. Selenium stimulates the immune system and may activate the killer cells to eradicate organisms. By Dr. M de Klerk
Many patients with Hashimoto’s have digestive issues. It does not often occur to them that it might be linked to their thyroid disease. Some just accept these gut challenges as the norm. Recurring diarrhea, stomach pain, gas and bloating are not normal. These symptoms can be resolved quickly with the use of the correct digestive enzyme, and most patients will report back with positive outcomes. Food consists of different substances, protein, fat and starch, and digestion of any of these could be your challenge. Protein seems to be the most challenging of them all, according to studies. Deficiency in pancreatic elastase, is often the root of fat malabsorption. Many nutrients and vitamins need to be emulsified in fat to be absorbed. Pancreatic enzymes, together with bile from the gallbladder, mixes in the small intestines to break fats down into tiny droplets that can now be absorbed into the gut. Without adequate bile and pancreatic enzymes, many essential nutrients can be lost and excreted with other wastes in the stool, leading to deficiencies such as fatty acid deficiency. Also, food will not be digested and can result in the development of food sensitivities and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth due to putrefaction Pancreatic elastase deficiency can be tested accurately in the stool. Having a low level of pancreatic elastase can be associated with:
The link between Hashimoto’s and low pancreatic enzymes are as follows: Thyroid hormone level affect metabolism of all hormones in our bodies as well as all other endocrine glands. Motility of the stomach will be impaired in hypothyroid patients leading to slowing down of the movement of partially digested food and digestive juices. This can cause gas, bloating and other digestive symptoms including overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut. Decrease in T4 also slows liver cholesterol metabolism, changing the thickness of the bile, resulting in a decreased fat digestion. This scenario will lead to a situation of multiple deficiencies in nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. In a follow up article to this one, we will discuss the telltale symptoms of a variety of nutritional deficiencies. by Dr. C Groenewald
It is that time of the year again, colds and flu season. Both colds and flu are caused by viral infections and can make you feel pretty sick. It is commonly accepted that you can't do much for a mild viral infection except fluids and rest, but that is not true. Your homeopath, naturopath or functional medicine doctor has an entire arsenal of vitamin therapy, herbals and homeopathic medicines that has been proven to decrease the severity and duration of colds and flu. There are also so many things that you can do at home to boost and strengthen your immune system to protect you from recurrent or severe colds and flu. Here are 5 tips to boosting your immune system this winter. 1. Eat 7 servings of vegetables per day. A colorful spectrum of vegetables contain the compounds your immune system needs to function optimally. 2. Avoid conventionally reared animal products and produce. Treated with routine antibiotics and growth promoters, this will harm the good bacteria in your gut (where 70% of your immune system resides). 3. Get 7-8 hours of restful sleep every night. Sleep deprivation causes unbalanced cortisol levels which can fuel chronic inflammation and cause chronic illnesses. 4. Avoid sugar. Sugar is the single most harmful food substance that will destroy your healthy gut bacteria and promote leaky gut and chronic low grade inflammation which will leave you with a weakened immune system. 5. Get enough vit D. Vit D has in recent years emerged as a powerful immune modulator. Before taking a vitamin D supplement it is essential that your have your vit D levels tested first as vit D is a fat soluble vitamin and you can therefor cause a vit D toxicity. #immunesystem #immunity #immuneboost #coldsandflus #influenza #commoncold #boostingyourimmunesystem #healthyguthealthyyou #vitd3 #eatyourveggiespeople #homeopathyforall #naturalmedicines #healingnaturally #herbalmedicine #homeopathicdoctor #homeopathicmedicines #drchantellgroenewald Dr. C Groenewald Food contains the information our body needs to heal and follow healthy physiological pathways. Food can also harm and promote disease. For this reason one should always look at your plate of food and ask yourself, is this food that will heal or food that will harm? The food that we eat can either act as medicine, or it can promote illness, for this reason, there are specific foods, known to cause disease that I eliminate from my diet. Here are my top 5 foods to avoid:
Dr. M de Klerk
In our fast paced, time-blurred life we do not prioritize sleep. There is so much to do on a daily basis and trying to fit it all in necessitates our children to compromise on sleep. Children need between 8-12 hours sleep per night. A baby or toddler needing the most and our teenagers may require less as they move more to adulthood. We all know that sleep is good for our children, but do realize how detrimental it is? Lack of sleep will affect our children physically and psychologically, greatly affecting their quality of life. It will affect their hormones, immune system, detoxification, healing and repair of the body, as well as mental status. We all know what an over tired child behaves like. In an age where children seem to have increasingly more emotional as well as learning challenges, it is vital that we address lack of sleep as a primary contributor to decline in cognitive function as well as mental wellbeing. There is a frightening increase in the rate of diagnoses of chronic diseases in children, even auto immune diseases in children are becoming more prevalent. There are a few essential factors that needs to be addressed for your child to ensure deep and peaceful sleep:
Dr. M de Klerk
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis affects one in every 6 women. This condition can only be effectively addressed by treating the patient as a whole. There are many “triggers” that can activate this auto immune disease and finding those triggers can be the solution to resolving it too. It is not always easy or totally clear what the triggers are, and, in that case, the whole body’s health needs to be taken in consideration. The 4 supportive steps that needs to be followed, as the starting point for all Hashimoto’s patients to begin the healing journey, is as follows: Step #1- Removal of trigger foods- some foods will contribute to activating your immune response on a daily basis, eventually ending up in an overwrought state of auto immunity. Removal of these foods are essential. Step #2- Adding healing foods- these foods will help heal your body, i.e., “food acting as medicine.” Step #3- Reducing toxin exposure- Living a cleaner life sounds like a huge endeavor but is much easier than you think. “Giving your body a break” will tip the scales towards healing. Step #4- Supporting your detoxification pathways- Removing the accumulated toxic burden as well as toxins from daily living is vital for a functioning body. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is a journey, but invariably, can be improved. by Dr. M de Klerk
Making small, step by step nutritional changes will add up to big shifts in your child. Remove these 7 things from your child's diet:
By taking care of the gut, we take care of the brain. Better gut and brain health ultimately leads to fewer symptoms and improved daily life. "Cortisol is an indirect fat-making hormone; when it releases excess glucose into the blood, this causes abnormally high insulin levels to convert the sugar into fat around the abdominal organs." Dr. Eric Berg.
Chronic low grade cortisol secretion = weight gain. Simple as that and yet so complicated. I have so many women struggling to lose weight in spite of healthy balanced diets and exercise. These cases are rarely uncomplicated but managing stress and reversing the effects of too much cortisol is the first step and this makes a big difference in your attempts to lose weight. Here are 5 tips to manage chronic stress and nourish your adrenal glands. 1. Moderate exercise. High intensity exercise can overburden already tired adrenal glands, while mild to moderate exercise allows for endorphin release which can help turn off the HPA (hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis). 2. Breathing exercises are a wonderful way to trick your body into calming down during a stressful time. When we are stressed out we tend to hyperventilate with shallow breathing. Slow, methodical, rhythmic breaths sends a message to your brain that it can stop secreting loads of cortisol because you cannot be running away from a threat if you are breathing normally. 3. Heal the gut. Chronic low grade inflammation emitted from an unhealthy leaky gut will cause constant low grade cortisol (the anti-inflammation hormone) from your adrenals. 4. Meditation is a wonderful way to nourish over taxed adrenal glands and balance cortisol levels. Studies have shown that 20 minutes meditation per day can help reverse the negative health effects of too much cortisol 5. Rest and recover. This is so important. To switch off, rest and recover. This is also so difficult. Our modern lives allows for emails on our phone, intrusion of social media, easy access to everyone via many routes. Try to really switch off when you get home. Put your phone away and switch off your emails. Avoid social media, checking your phone before bed or first thing in the morning. Be where you are, in the moment, be present. Do not divide your attention between home, work, errands, school and everything else. Be where you are, focus on what you are doing and do not let the different spheres that need your attention overlap. Warm Regards Dr. Chantell Groenewald M. Tech Hom UJ 0748251814 |
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