By: Dr. Chantell Groenewald (M. Tech Hom UJ)
Homeopath Is your leaky gut causing you to be sick? The short answer...YES. So what is leaky gut syndrome, how did I get it, why is it causing illness and how can I treat it? What is Leaky Gut Syndrome? Hippocrates said: “Death begins in the gut”, and I quote him in almost all of my consultations. Leaky gut syndrome refers to intestinal hyperpermeability. Inside our gut, we have what we call, tight junctions, between the intestinal cells. These tight junctions play a very important role, in restricting gut permeability. That is to say, certain nutrients, vitamins and minerals, are selectively transported across our gut lining, while the tight junctions acts as ‘security doors’, preventing undigested food, toxic waste and bacteria from entering our blood stream. When these tight junctions become damaged, the ‘security gate’ flings wide open, and the ‘sewage’ that was meant to pass out of our system, leaks into our blood stream, causing massive amounts of inflammation. Although science has yet to prove that leaky gut syndrome actually directly cause disease, it has found it to occur simultaneously with a whole host of diseases, which should give you some idea of how important gut health is in maintaining good health. 15 Signs that you may be suffering from Leaky Gut Syndrome:
What causes Leaky Gut Syndrome?
How can you heal your gut? Healing your gut is an integrative approach. Here are the crucial steps to healing your gut:
Sounds like a mouth full. It really is easier than you think. There are multiple gut cleansing programs available for you to follow, and various holistic health care practitioners that can assist you on this path towards wellness. Take the first step towards a healthier you, by simply removing the five most pro-inflammatory foods, from your diet, these include:
Try it, often, this is enough to have you feeling energised and healthier than before. The next step, would be a thorough gut cleanse and detox, as discussed above, which often resolves most ill effects from an unhealthy gut. I will leave you with the words of Sherry A. Rogers: “The road to health is paved with good intestines”.
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It all starts with peri-menopause, the time period just before menopause hits you with its full force.
What symptoms can you expect? Hot flushes or night sweats, heart palpitations, painful intercourse as a result of vaginal dryness, vaginal itching and infections, headaches as well as mental symptoms like fatigue, irritability, moodiness, depression, sleep disturbances and mental fog. Peri menopause can last 6 to 13 years, give or take 5 years and during that time guidance by a good holistic practitioner might just make a lifetime difference. Many women end up on synthetic hormonal replacement therapy, oral contraceptives or even have their uteruses removed due to menstrual irregularities. A thorough work-up of your hormonal profile during this time will guide your doctor as to which hormones need to be supplemented and most of all which lifestyle changes are necessary to bring the balance back. Menopause is marked by the permanent end of menstruation and fertility and is defined as occurring 12 months after your last menstrual cycle. The average age is 51, but could be anything between 45 and 60. Symptoms of menopause are the same as may be experienced in the peri-menopause and may extend well into the menopause. So much emphasis is placed on oestrogen deficiency during menopause but in actual fact symptoms during peri and menopause may be due to oestrogen deficiency, oestrogen dominance or progesterone deficiency. Symptoms might be aches and pains, depression, tearfulness, fatigue, headaches, heart palpitations, hot flushes, metal fog, short term memory loss, incontinence, vaginal dryness, bone loss, sleep disorder. Salivary tests are available in our country now to ascertain which hormones should be addressed and can easily be ordered by your doctor. Once the problem has been identified different forms of treatment can be used. Herbals, homeopathics as well as bio-identical hormones can be used according to your needs. “Change of life” should be a natural progression in a women’s life and not a cross that needs bearing. Consult with knowledgeable practitioner to guide you through this process. Dr Marike de Klerk M.Tech Hom (UJ) Registered Homeopath Our April newsletter covers the following events and news at the Naturopathic Health Care Centre:
Read more: Newsletter April 2018
YOUR PROBLEM MIGHT LIE IN ONE OF THESE ORGANS
1. MOUTH The very first part of your digestion starts in your mouth. Contained within your saliva is digestive enzymes that start the breakdown of your food. It is therefore very important to chew your food properly so that the food can be broken down into smaller pieces, making digestion easier and also mixed thoroughly with your saliva. Larger pieces of food is excreted by the body whilst the smaller pieces can be absorbed easier and therefore insuring better nutrition. The secretion of saliva will also send a message to your stomach to start secreting acid in preparation for the food that it will be receiving soon. CHEW EACH MOUTHFULL AT LEAST 32 TIMES OR UNTILL TEXTURE IS LOST. 2. STOMACH The job of the stomach is to grind/churn food down to small pieces that can be absorbed easily. The stomach releases a very important stomach acid called hydrochloric acid that is important for the breakdown of protein. Protein is an important building block of all the structures and organs in the body. Your body cannot repair or maintain these organs without protein. Contrary to popular belief 90% of people suffering from heartburn, gas and indigestion has too little stomach acid AND NOT TOO MUCH. This is especially true of those over 40 as acid production decreases with age. Stomach acid also stimulates the pancreas, gallbladder and small intestines to secrete enzymes. THESE ORGANS ALL WORK TOGETHER LIKE AN ORCHESTRA, IF ONE MEMBER IS MISSING THE SONG IS JUST NOT THE SAME. Improper digestion of protein creates toxins in the intestines that creates acidic blood. Bad bacteria, yeast and parasites present in food and water are killed by stomach acid which is an important prevention of infection and disease. These bacteria upset the delicate balance of the bacterial flora in the gut which lowers immunity, affects mood and cognition, contributes to weight gain and plays a role in chronic fatigue. Leaky gut is another very common result of low stomach acid. If you battle digesting meat (nausea or tiredness after consuming meat), heartburn after meals, bloating or gas, food sensitivities or allergies or symptoms of nutrient deficiency you might have low stomach acid and it is essential that you seek treatment from your doctor. THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR STOMACH IS TO USE ANTACIDS LIKE RENNIES OR TAKE A PROTON PUMP INHIBITOR LIKE PANTOLOC, LOSEC OR NEXIAM! THEY WILL LOWER YOUR ACID EVEN MORE!! 3. GALLBLADDER The gallbladder is a tiny sack situated below and behind the gallbladder. Although small it play as very important role in digestion. It holds the bile that is produced by the liver till it is needed for digesting fatty foods in the first part of the small intestines. If the liver is overloaded with too many toxins like from too much use of alcohol, hormones, drugs, junk food as well as being constipated can cause bile to become thickened which clogs up the gallbladder and can form gallstones. This can cause indigestion and bloating after eating and even acute gallbladder attacks. Any of the following symptoms might be because of a gallbladder problem: - bitter taste in the mouth -bloating and nausea after eating a high fat meal -Chronic reoccurring pain behind right shoulder blade Bile salts, one component of bile is essential in stimulating your bowels to work, so sufficient bile is necessary to prevent constipation So if you are suffering from any menstrual irregularities or female problems as well as male hormone imbalances, get your gallbladder sorted out! 4. SMALL INTESTINES The small intestines is a tube that carries food from the stomach to the colon. 90% of digestion and absorption of food occurs here, the remaining 10% in the stomach and large intestines. The main function of the intestines is absorption of nutrients and minerals from food. Millions of bacteria live in the small intestines, hopefully most of them good bacteria. It is therefore very important to make sure the environment is conducive for the good bacteria to grow. Things that can make the environment unfavourable is the use of antibiotics, stress, eating foods that cause allergy or sensitivity in the lining of the intestines, not having enough stomach acid therefore allowing bad bacteria to enter the intestines, a diet too high in carbohydrate providing “food “for the bad bacteria to eat. Symptoms of problems in your small intestines are: - Gas - Bloating - Diarrhoea - Abdominal pain and cramping - Constipation - Food intolerance to gluten, dairy and sugar - a Diagnosis of irritable bowel disease 5. LARGE INTESTINES The major function of the large intestine is to absorb water from the remaining indigestible food and ELIMINATE THE WASTE FROM THE BODY via stools. No digestion or breakdown of nutrients take place here. It takes the colon 24 to 30 hours to complete the process. Bacteria in the large intestines, trillions of them, breaks down fibre from the food and produce large amounts of vitamins. Probably the most important function of the large intestines is its function in producing antibodies. These antibodies protects the body against harmful pathogens. Many diseases can occur in the colon but cancer is the most feared of all. Constipation is probably the most important symptom to consider in colon health and it is vital to make sure that a sufficient bowel movement is had on a daily basis. It is important to eat a fibre rich diet full of fruits and vegetables that are coloured, containing lots of anti-oxidants. In addition to immune cells, some hormones are manufactured in the large intestines including serotonin, a hormone that is essential in good mental health and can cause depression if too low. As you can see each organ plays a vital role and if there is not a balance between all the organs of digestion, you might experience symptoms and even disease in you intestinal tract. Your health practitioner will be able to assist you in optimizing your digestive function with lifestyle changes as well as medications. Dr Marike de Klerk M.Tech Hom (UJ) Registered Homeopath
By: Dr C Groenewald M.Tech Hom (UJ)
After 10 months of anticipation, the day finally arrives. You get to hold your new-born baby for the first time. You are so overcome by emotion, so totally in love with this little being, you feel your heart might burst with happiness. You get to go home, and life with your little miracle begins. The first few days’ worth of awe and excitement starts to wear off, as you try to settle back into your life before your little one (life b.c. - before child). By now, the sleep deprivation starts to set in, and the rose-tinted glasses start to come off. You slowly start wondering, who in their right mind would send a baby home with you...without supervision! You realise you have NO idea what you are doing, and the effects of the sleep deprivation takes an even further toll on you. By now, your hormones are flying the coop, you probably realise you are ill equipped for this parenting thing, you feel 100% overwhelmed…You pretty much want to give the baby back and feel like the worst parent in the world because of it. You have barely taken a shower, nor managed to drink half a cup of ice cold coffee, eaten half a can of cold soup in divided efforts to get some food into your body. You look like death warmed up, you smell, you are covered in baby vomit and you have baby poop under your finger nails. The most basic task of going to the loo, making dinner, taking a shower, doing laundry and getting dressed, becomes a frantic scramble with zero outcome, because you can't put the baby down for two seconds out of fear he/she might start screaming. By the time your spouse gets home, you basically throw the baby at them, and run to take a wee, shower - anything, that does not involve holding a baby. Three seconds of peace and quiet. But alas, baby starts crying, and despite your spouses’ best efforts to help, baby ends up back in your arms half way through whatever you were trying to do. It finally boils down to you weeping with the baby. And that, is just the day. You start fearing night time, because that is when the screaming begins, and if you are lucky, you will get about two hours of interrupted sleep that night, finally sitting with baby on your chest, praying for morning to come. To add further insult to injury, you feel like the worst parent ever, wrought with guilt, because you pretty much hate all of this, and you find yourself wishing you could have your old life back. Then on top of everything else, you have post-partum hormones, bouncing off the walls, pushing you over the edge. It was only after I joined a mommies group, who spoke openly and honestly about what the first few months of motherhood felt like to them that I started to realize - I was not alone. I am not a bad parent, it is normal to feel totally overwhelmed and ill equipped. Wanting to throw the baby out the window once or twice is normal too. No one tells you how hard it is going to be, or maybe they do, but you have zero frame of reference, so you are totally unable to compute the magnitude of what they are saying. The only way to know, really know, what it feels like, is to live through it, and nothing and no one can prepare you for it, the only way out, is through. Finding a group of likeminded new mommies, all with the same fears and anxieties, the same doubts and worries, literally saved my life. But many women do not have the opportunity to be surrounded by a such a support network. I often see new mothers in my practice, and it is like war flashbacks. I see the dark circles under their eyes, the desperate expression on their faces, the oily hair and pale faces. They try to act 'normal' for the first two minutes (because, surely they are supposed to love this, and any other feelings makes them feel ashamed), then baby starts crying, and I see their shoulders drop. 'Go ahead and feed them, I say'. And as they settle baby on the breast, I smile and say, 'what you are feeling is totally normal'. I can see the tiniest flicker of hope, as I talk them through the first three months of 'hell' and what to expect, and they sob, because they thought they were awful for feeling totally overwhelmed. Although you love this little being with all your heart, you are not coping and that is ok. Postpartum depression does not affect everyone, and there are many women that flourish during this time, everything seems easy and they are back in their nine-inch heels with perfect hair and make up within two weeks…making you feel even more inadequate and total failure as a mother. For the rest of us, non-nine-inch heels type of gals, with the reflux baby or the colic baby, let us take a closer look at baby blues and post-partum depression (PPD). Baby Blues vs Post-Partum Depression All of the above mentioned, can be totally normal. This phase, commonly referred to as Baby Blues, is part of the transitionary phase we go through the first couple of days to one or two weeks after baby is born. The signs and symptoms of Baby Blues include:
Baby Blues differs from PPD (Post-partum depression) in that the symptoms only lasts a few days to weeks after baby is born, and then improves as time goes by. You should feel better after a week or two, if however, you notice your symptoms worsening after the initial two-week period, you might be suffering from PPD PPD is a serious mental disease and should be treated immediately by a health care professional. Signs and symptoms of PPD include the following:
All the above symptoms can be normal if experienced for only a brief period. We all feel irritable or sad sometimes, we all suffer from anxiety or feel overwhelmed at times; however, these feelings are fleeting. When your feelings of inadequacy, guilt, sadness etc remains excessive and for prolonged periods of time, it is time to seek urgent medical attention. How can Homeopathy help for Baby Blues and Post- Partum Depression? Homeopathy works based on ‘like cures like’. If a remedy can produce a symptom picture when administered to a healthy individual, then it should cure the same symptom picture in an unhealthy patient. There are several homeopathic remedies used to treat PPD. Each person is treated as an individual, therefor, after an extensive case taking is performed. Your Homeopath will choose a remedy based on your individual needs and your specific symptom picture. Sepia 200 is one such remedy used to treat baby blues and PPD, with the following symptom picture:
If you suspect you might be suffering from PPD, please contact your health care professional to make an appointment as soon as possible. You are not alone, PPD affects 1/5 woman and is a debilitating condition, which is 100% treatable. Do not suffer in silence.
“Compassionate Moms” get together - Tomorrow, 6 March at 10am.
is a unique community service to new mothers, so you are empowered to confidently care for yourself and your baby, engaging with health care providers in our support network. We are excited to offer a compassionate space where mothers can learn, share and make informed choices on health care, lifestyle and well-being. There will be a professional facilitator each Tuesday to help with healthy lifestyle and diet, emotional support and advice on the numerous uncertainties that arise when a new baby is around. Tomorrow, 6th March 2018 you are going to have the opportunity to discuss your questions and concerns with Doddie Boer: Birth Doula, Stress and Trauma release, Personal Growth & Stress Management, Child birth educator
Read all about what's new at the Naturopathic Health Care Centre in 2018.
• Mom & Baby socialization group • About our doctors • Topic of the Month • Room to let Click here to read more: Newsletter March 2018
Dearest patient,
Have you been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, low thyroid function or Hashimoto’s? Are you confused as to what you can do to treat it, how to reverse the condition and also why it happened to you in the first place? Hypothyroidism has various possible causes making the treatment individualistic, but most importantly you first need to be able to determine whether your disease is autoimmune driven, Hashimoto’s disease, or not. Statistics are currently estimating that around 6 out of 10 hypothyroid patients have an autoimmune reaction to their thyroids. What does this mean? The body makes antibodies or white cell soldiers to destroy the thyroid tissue. The mechanism is not 100% percent understood yet but is seems that the immune systems seems to think that thyroid cells resemble other body tissues e.g. gut lining, certain allergenic foods or even certain viruses or bacteria. The immune system will attack the thyroid gland over a period of a few years until it is eventually totally destroyed. Maybe you can understand now that it is important to know whether you have Hashimoto’s so that the underlying cause can be addressed. Your GP will normally only test for TSH or T4 but it is of vital importance to test all the thyroid hormones to get a clear picture. These tests will include the following:
Once your testing has been done your doctor will be able to see clearly whether you have an autoimmunity or not. If your TSH is high it means that your brain is sending signals to the thyroid to make more thyroid hormone since it is detecting there is not enough of this hormone circulating in the body for proper functioning. T3 and T4 can give us a clue whether you have enough circulating hormones in your blood and if you have enough of T3 which is your more metabolically active hormone. Thyroid antibodies with clearly show whether you have auto immunity in your thyroid. Reverse T3 can be described as the brakes of the thyroid gland and T3 the fuel. This means that T3 will stimulate metabolism and reverse T3 will slow the metabolism. This can often happen during periods where the body is under stress, physically or mentally. When blood tests do not indicate any auto immunity the thyroid might just be lacking building blocks to produce thyroid hormones and this can be supplemented to ensure optimal functioning. Hashimoto’s disease can occur due to various causes. Some of these causes are:
The golden rule when it comes to your thyroid health is not to just assume that taking a thyroid replacement like Eltroxin will solve the problem. Work together with a practitioner to try and find the cause, treat it and reverse the auto immunity. Your thyroid is integral for your body function and without thyroid hormones a person will not be able to survive. It dictates your breathing, heart rate, central and peripheral nervous system, body weight, muscle strength, menstrual cycle, body temperature, cholesterol levels and much more. Therefore, treat it with respect, cherish it and make sure that you have a happy thyroid!! For any questions please contact DR MARIKE DE KLERK NATUROPATHIC HEALTH CENTRE 012 460 9216 Live blood analysis gives us a glimpse into the internal enviroment of your body. This will give both me, your doctor, as well as you, the patient, valuable information about imbalances and health concerns. It will show you how your lifestyle has impacted on your health. I will be able to monitor your progress to see how effective the medications as well as lifestyle changes has been. The intriguing part of live blood analysis is that you will be able to physically see your blood on a computer screen and that I can explain to you what abnormalities can be seen in the cells and what can be done to improve your health. Your blood comes into contact with every cell in your body, and therefore if we can understand why your blood is “sick”, we can gain more insight into knowing why your cells are “sick” The process is fairly simple and not very invasive. A small amount of blood is taken from your finger and studied through a special microscope. In a conventional blood test the blood is stained and essentialy dead, but with LBA the live blood is analysed under high magnification to asses the condition of your blood cells and plasma and all the abnormalities that occurs in your body in that specific moment in time. Here is an example of what your blood should like, in figure 1, loose, round and all the same size. Figure 2 indicates the red blood cells attached to each other in stacks, an indication of digestive stress and poor digestion. Figure 3 shows aggregation of the red blood cells where they are stuck together in clumps indicating severe digestive problems with toxicity and possible degeneration in the body. This photo, Figure 4, shows the presence of parasites in the blood, the long string as well as the smaller circles found in both pictures. Figure 5, shows green crystals in the blood that indicates high acidity level. This might be caused by high acidity levels and might be the cause of your athritis or joint pains. Figure 6, shows bright intracellular parasites inside the red blood cells. These parasites might be reason why you are so tired, getting sick often or maybe why you have an auto immune disease. A consultation lasts an hour, discussing your current health problems, taking a thorough history, analyzing your blood as well as a physical exam. If you are tired of being sick and tired and want to get a clearer idea of what might be the cause of you being unwell, LBA might offer the awnsers that you seek. Contact Naturopathic Healthcare Centre for an appointment with Dr Marike de Klerk or Dr Marlo Swanepoel: 012-460-9216 13 Hazelwood St Hazelwood
Functional Medicine
By: Dr C Groenewald M.Tech Hom (UJ) Holistic healing focuses on addressing the root cause of a disease and not only the symptom itself, using vitamins, minerals, nutritional medicine, diet, exercise and homoeopathy. The body is an amazing organism, striving continuously towards homeostasis. When homeostasis is threatened, your body will find a way to notify you - in the form of ‘symptoms and signs’. Each sign and symptom has a root cause, for example: if you drink a headache tablet for a headache, you are addressing the symptom only, leaving the underlying cause untreated. Finding and addressing the cause, will lend itself to a permanent cure. To further illustrate this point, let us look at weight gain, as an example: Underlying causes of unchecked weight gain may include:
Trying to correct the weight gain (a sign) with various diets and exercise programmes, will not resolve the underlying cause of the weight gain, and often patients may become very disheartened, when strict lifestyle changes yields little to no results. Find the cause, treat the cause and resolve the symptom. Who can benefit from this approach? EVERYONE, including patients who suffer from:
How do you start this journey? Contact us for an appointment which involves: 1. A 1-hour consultation with a qualified healthcare practitioner; 2. A complete medical history and health assessment; 3. Follow up consultation to assess your blood work, set up a treatment plan and nutritional plan; 4. Monthly follow up as required. “The highest ideal of cure is the speedy, gentle and enduring restoration of health by the most trustworthy and least harmful way.” -Samuel Hahnemann-
(By: Dr. Chantell Groenewald, M Tech (HOM) UJ).
Testosterone is a hormone, mainly produced in the testes in males, but also produced, in smaller amounts, in the ovaries and adrenal glands of females. Healthy levels of testosterone in females is vital for general wellbeing as well as optimal functioning of several physiological processes in the body, including:
Causes of decreasing testosterone, include:
Biopuncture describes any therapeutic measure that uses homeopathic complexes (biotherapeutics) for injection into specific points or areas on the body. The name originated from combining bio-therapy with acu-puncture. Biopuncture is a therapy using mostly plant-based ultra-low dilution product formulas which are injected into specific body regions to regulate bodily functions. Most of the injections are micro-injections with a very small needle just under the skin or into the muscle. Small doses of products are injected to stimulate or “wake up” the natural healing processes. Using Testis Compositum in specific body regions, has a ‘turbo effect’ in stimulating the bodily functions. Contact us today, for any further questions regarding biopuncture and the use of Testis Compositum during menopause. The Naturopathic Health Care Centre provides a friendly environment where the whole family is taken care of. The three registered homoeopaths together with the registered nursing sister are able to take care of a vast range of health issues.
Consult with one of our Homoeopathic Practitioners.
Visit our Well Baby Clinic - Services provided by the sister:
Regrettably we do not do allopathic vaccinations at the Centre, but you can talk to us about nosode treatment and immune boosting therapies. Attend our Mom & Baby socialisation Workshop Enjoy two hours of relaxed interaction with other mommies. Tea, coffee and snacks are served while listening to an informative talk by Dr Chantell Groenewald or Sr Alida Idema. Mom & Baby groups are held on the last Tuesday morning of every month. We can accommodate up to 20 moms, therefore please phone the reception to book your spot. Visit our website for the dates and times. AT Home HERBAL TREATMENTs FOR COLDS AND FLU |
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