Holistic Path to Health Podcast / Nutrition / Psyc

As you may be aware, myself and my husband are about to move to Spain. We are counting the days now and getting quite excited. In the last few months, pretty much all of our spare time has been spent preparing for the move (by the way, for anyone considering moving to another country, just be aware that there is more involved than you would ever think there would be!). This is why I have not been able to maintain my revised podcast schedule. Unfortunately, I have no choice but to suspend the podcast for the time being but hoping to pick it up again when we have moved, found a permanent residence (we’re going to rent for a few months), and everything has settled down. In the meantime, you can still get in contact with me via the website. If you’ve just come across this podcast, I encourage you to go back to my older episodes where you will find a lot of great information shared by some fantastically knowledgeable and inspirational people. So for now, take good care, treat your mind and your body with respect, appreciate what you’ve got and make the most out of every day!

In this episode, I’m talking to Dr Stephanie Franz who is a Family Doctor (GP) but she’s also trained in Acupuncture, Emotional Freedom Techniques and Matrix Reimprinting. We’ve previously covered EFT in episode 17 so won’t be focusing on it except for a brief reminder on how EFT works. This episode explores in more detail the Matrix Reimprinting method which utilises EFT in order to release the chronic effects of past trauma and stress. Matrix Reimprinting combines EFT with visualisation techniques to enable processing of those stressful or traumatic memories in a very effective way and then new positive images are created to support more desirable beliefs and outcomes (reimprinting). Links: Dr Stephanie’s website: http://trueyoumatrix.co.uk/ Matrix Reimprinting: http://www.matrixreimprinting.com/

This time, we’re talking about vitamin D. In recent years there has been an absolute explosion of vitamin D research and subsequently a lot of media coverage on how we are all deficient and should be supplementing to boost our immunity, regardless of whether we are otherwise healthy or not. Vitamin D, which is actually a hormone, has many vital functions in the human body.  Apart from playing a role in calcium absorption, vitamin D helps regulate the immune and the neuromuscular system. It is also involved in the life cycle of human cells. In fact, the functions of vitamin D are so wide and so important that our body is able to manufacture it in response to sunlight (UV exposure). I’m talking to Meg Mangin, a registered nurse and a Director of Chronic Illness Recovery service. Meg is actively involved in vitamin D research. Meg is explaining the differences between different forms of vitamin D, how we should be cautious when it comes to supplementation, and what to do if people are concerned that their vitamin D levels may be inadequate. Links: Chronic Illness Recovery service: https://www.chronicillnessrecovery.org/  Find Meg Mangin on Twitter: @OccultInfection

In this episode, I’m talking to Suzy Greaves, the editor of the Psychologies magazine. Suzy has 30 years experience in the area of self-development and as well as a health journalist, she is also a life coach and a best-selling author. Suzy is sharing her personal story of how she’s got into the field of psychology and tells us what to expect from the Psychologies magazine. We’re also talking about Happiness Clubs, a fantastic initiative that is now available to anyone anywhere. It is all thanks to the Psychologies magazine joining forces with Action for Happiness.  The concept of Happiness Clubs is based around 10 keys to happier living, which are 10 areas (identified based on the latest research) that have been consistently shown to make people’s lives happier and more fulfilling. The 10 keys are: Giving Relating Exercising Appreciating Trying Out Direction Resilience Emotion Acceptance Meaning The great thing is that anyone can set up their own Happiness Club. It doesn’t cost and anything and you can get the resources you need to run a club like this from the Psychologies website (links below). Links: Happiness Clubs – https://lifelabs.psychologies.co.uk/channels/154-the-happiness-club Psychologies magazine – https://psychologies.co.uk/ Action for Happiness – http://www.actionforhappiness.org/ Suzy’s website – http://www.suzygreaves.com/

In this episode, I’m exploring mycotoxins and their negative effects on our health. I have recently had an experience with mycotoxins that wreaked havoc with my body and mind, which I’ve now managed to correct, but that left me wondering how many people experience ill health and don’t even consider that their symptoms could be to do with those horrible nasty toxins. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungi that are capable of causing disease and death in humans and in animals. There are many sources of mycotoxins. They could be lurking in our immediate environment, e.g. mouldy wall, or our food (many foods are contaminated with mould when we buy them and then we can make it worse by storing it inappropriately). And of course, because of their pharmacological activity, some mycotoxins or mycotoxin derivatives have found use as antibiotics and other drugs. So why do I think that it is important for people to be aware of this? It’s because symptoms caused by fungi can range from little annoying things (athlete’s foot) to life-threatening ones. It is important to recognise that a strong organism can bounce back very quickly after the offending toxin is removed but if someone is already immunocompromised in some way, the long-term consequences can be disastrous. It’s enough to look at the effects of  mycotoxins to realise they are bad news: neurotoxic (destroy nervous tissue) hepatotoxic (causing liver damage) nephrotoxic (causing kidney damage) immunosuppressive (suppressing immune function) genotoxic (causing genetic mutations) allergenic (causing allergic reactions) teratogenic (causing birth defects) carcinogenic (cancer causing) In this episode, I explain what we can do to minimise our exposure to those toxins, and how to support the body if you’ve been exposed. Links: Antifungal Caprilic Acid Combination (with elacampane root, black walnut, and raspberry leaf) click here Liver Health Herbal Formula click here Liquid Chlorophyll click here Broad spectrum probiotics click here Synergistic antioxidant formula click here Mycotoxins article http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC16422

In this episode, I’m talking to Alexia Leachman – Head Trash Clearance Coach . Alexia describes head trash as anything that prevents you from performing and being at your best, including: negative self-talk, limiting belief, inner struggles, emotions that show up in the wrong place at the wrong time, and anything people do to sabotage their success. Alexia is sharing how she helps people get rid of those unhelpful thoughts, feeling and emotions using her 5 step process developed based on Reflective Repatterning, which falls into the category of energy psychology methods. Alexia is the host of the The Head Trash Show podcast. She is also an author and a professional speaker. She is currently writing her second book to help pregnant women have a positive pain-free birth and has just started her second podcast, Fear Free Childbirth. Alexia’s website: http://www.headtrash.co.uk

On this show, I’m talking to Faith Smith who is a Tai Chi instructor. If you’ve listened to episode 23 entitled “Never Give up Hope, you may remember the Wilfie used to teach Tai Chi before he had his stroke. Interestingly, Faith was one of Wilfie’s students. Tai Chi is often described as the meditation walk and is a very all-rounded approach in terms of incorporating movement, breathing and meditation all in one. Most people are familiar with Tai Chi at some level but what they won’t necessarily know is that in Tai Chi there are specific moves and sequences that can help ease different ailments such as headaches, insomnia, arthritis, back and balance problems. And as Faith will explain Tai Chi does not require a huge daily commitment to get those benefits. Links: Tai Chi Union DVD with Faith Smith

This time on the show, I’m talking to Balquees Ali about the applications of acupuncture but also about a very interesting product that Balquees has developed called Acutreat. Acutreat is a self-help product based on the principles of auricular, or ear, acupuncture. Using ear seeds is a common technique in Chinese Medicine that is often used to reduce food, cigarette and drug cravings. The ear seeds can also be used for many other conditions, such as chronic pain, depression, digestive problems or insomnia. Acutreat is basically a kit that provides you with ear seeds and the exact instructions how to use them, so that you can help yourself without necessarily having to go and see an acupuncturist. The specific areas that Acutreat can help with include, anxiety, sleeping problems, weigh control, stress management and pain. In the interview, Balquues explains more about acupuncture as well as Acutreat. Links: www.acupuncturestuff.com www.balqueesali.com article: Ear Seeds Explained

On this show, I’m talking to Akasha Lonsdale, a specialist in Emotional Intelligence and Stress Management. Back in the 1980s Akasha trained in psychotherapy and stress management and quickly became a thought leader in the area of stress management that was only just emerging at the time. Akasha also became a media go-to person on this particular subject. Akasha then spent years working as an executive mentor and worked with many big names, including Johnson and Johnson, Motorola, Hewlett Packard, WHSmith, Harrods, and many others. Akasha has a real passion for all things communication and together we are exploring the links between communication, stress and physical health. I always go on about the links between chronic stress and physical health so this one maybe more obvious to people but what we’re focusing on in this episode is how learning to communicate effectively can reduce people’s stress, and therefore improve their health. Link: Akasha’s website: www.akashalonsdale.com

In this episode, I’m talking to a psychology expert Tony Burgess about Havening Techniques®, a fantastic new tool that helps permanently remove the effects of traumatic experiences. Tony and his partner Julie French are founders and directors of the Academy of High Achievers, specialising in delivering professional development courses for coaches, trainers, and therapists. Tony is also an author and a professional speaker, and he was was one of the very first people globally to be certified as a Havening Techniques® practitioner. Now Tony is the Head of the UK and European Division of Havening Techniques® training. I recorded this interview with Tony a couple of months ago or so, and following the interview I decided to do the course with Tony to be able to add the Havening Techniques® to my toolkit. I’ve just completed the training, which was absolutely amazing and I have already started to use this tool with really great results. I am now looking forward to using it more. Havening Techniques® have been developed by Dr Ron Ruden and his brother Dr Steven Ruden, both medical doctors based in New York. Dr Ron Ruden has been studying neuroscience for over 20 years and for more than 10 of those years his focus has been on designing, researching, clinically testing and evolving an effective set of approaches for dealing with traumatic experiences, and other issues involving fight or flight responses, quickly, thoroughly and reliably. Traumatic experiences can lead to the brain encoding the experience in ways that can lead to psychological as well as physical symptoms. Havening Techniques® can help with treating those symptoms. Havening uses touch, which triggers the delta waves in the brain. This is important as this is linked to the release of happy hormones, such as serotonin. The delta waves in turn prompt all sorts of desirable chemical reactions in the amygdala part of the brain, where the traumatic event is ‘stored’. That then initiates the process of permanently decoding / removing that experience. The neuroscience of this process is complex but it is still great to be able to understand some of the mechanisms involved. To arrange a free Havening taster session on Skype, email: info@dr-eva.com Links: www.havening.org www.aha-success.co.uk

In this episode, I’m exploring colon hydrotherapy. I’m looking at how it works and its benefits, dispelling the myths, and pointing out the contraindications. I’d asked Andy Thatcher from the Chippenham FM radio to interview me about this subject, as colon hydrotherapy is one of the tools I use with my clients. I decided to train in colon hydrotherapy because it really helped me years ago when I was in trouble my health. It really made a huge difference to me at that time and I continue to use it for maintenance. As you may be aware, I am a firm believer that a healthy digestive system is fundamental to good health, and of course a healthy colon is a huge part of that. I want to raise awareness of colon hydrotherapy because I know people have some funny ideas of how it works, so I really want to put all these misconceptions to bed. Some people will claim that there is absolutely no benefit to this therapy but then anyone who has ever suffered from constipation, diarrhoea, or other colon disturbances will appreciate how much that impacts the overall way you’d feel in those situations. One of the great things about colon hydrotherapy is that it is like massage therapy to the muscles of the colon. It can help rebalance the colon and restore its function. It is a really gentle treatment (at least it should be), and can help prevent serious health problems that originate from poor bowel health, such as colorectal cancer. As I emphasise time and time again, colon hydrotherapy is not going to solve all your health problems but may just provide another tool to improve the health of your bowel, and therefore your health overall. Link to my blog about colon hydrotherapy: 10 Benefits of Colon Hydrotherapy

On this show, I’m talking to Sarah Koch. Sarah’s husband, Wilfie, suffered a stroke a couple of years ago. Sarah shares their journey and talks about how they’ve been dealing with the effects of it and the amazing recovery that Wilfie’s has been making. When it first happened Sarah was told the Wilfie wasn’t going to make it. All the medical professionals Sarah and Wilfie were dealing with at the time agreed on that. But Sarah refused to give up hope. She has been using a medical device called the PowerTube, also known as QuickZap. PowerTube utilises TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) technology normally used to relive pain and help with musculoskeletal complaints but its’ not the same as your regular TENS machines. PowerTube uses 3 different frequencies and the output is symmetric AC Current and not DC, which is what TENS devices use. The idea behind the PowerTube is to stimulate the body’s healing potential. Some research points towards improved markers in diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and also its ability to remove toxins, such as chlorophenols (links below). Link to Sarah’s website: http://www.magicwands.moonfruit.com/ Research: http://www.quickzap.ch/images/pdf/Studien/clinical_study.pdf http://www.powertube.whitelighten.com.au/Powertube_Chlorophenole.pdf http://powertube.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/fanous_et_al.pdf  

This time on the show, I’m talking to Catherine Holland who, among other things, specialises in teaching people how to breathe properly. Catherine shares her incredible story of how she survived a terrible accident, and her insights into why she believes she survived despite losing half of her blood. We’re talking about the importance of breathing properly and the incredible capacity of our bodies to heal, provided that the body has the required resources. Catherine is also walking us through a very simple breathing exercise so I encourage you to join in with us. Link: Catherine’s website: http://catherineholland.co.uk/

In this episode I’m talking to Diana Murphy. Diana is the founder of The Gluten Free Centre, a great online resource for anyone who avoids gluten. Diana shares her health story of how she’d struggled with her health for years before she realised certain foods were at the core of the problem. Not surprisingly her discovery and her research is behind the idea of setting up The Gluten Free Centre. Diana is very passionate about collating the available information from different sources and also creating a platform where people can share their knowledge and experiences, which is what The Gluten Free Centre is about. We want to emphasise in this episode that if you have any suspicion that you may have coeliac disease, you should get tested. It’s not always easy because there are so many possible symptoms and sometimes there aren’t any obvious symptoms. Some of the possible symptoms include: recurrent stomach pain, cramping or bloating severe or occasional diarrhoea, excessive wind and/or constipation persistent or unexplained gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting iron, vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency anaemia persistent fatigue headaches mouth ulcers hair loss (alopecia) skin rash (dermatitis herpetiformis) tooth enamel problems depression liver abnormalities infertility / repeated miscarriages joint and/or bone pain neurological (nerve) problems, e.g. poor muscle coordination or numbness and tingling in hands and feet Link: The Gluten Free Centre

I’ve got something quite unique for you in this episode. It’s called Chakradance. If you’ve listened to some of my other podcasts you may have heard me talk about the fundamentals of optimal health. Obviously, I always emphasise the importance of nourishing your body properly, but there are two other fundamentals that you could say are almost a shortcut to good health and vitality. The first is active relaxation, e.g. mediation/self-hypnosis, and the other of course is movement. Chakradance combines not only meditation and movement in one but also music therapy, and Jung psychology. Helly Doel, a Chakradance facilitator explains more. Links: Helly’s website: http://www.serenitybalance.co.uk/ Chakradance: http://www.chakradance.com/

On this show, I’m talking to Ros Kitson who is sharing her experience with depression. Ros had struggled with depression for years but has managed to overcome it for good, and is sharing the details of this transformational process. Of course, we know there is no single cause of depression. In fact, the list of possible triggers and contributing factors is long, including traumatic experiences, chronic stress, poor nutrition, alcohol and drug abuse, and so on. The latest research is pointing towards the inflammation in the brain, and also towards a link between depression and gut function. At the same time, we are all different and respond to different things. So this episode is not about going into the “ins and outs” of depression. It is about sending a message that there is so much available out there, and we should always persevere with our search knowing that something or somebody out there will be able to help us. I’ve previously heard from clients that depression runs in their family, so they are not going to be able to shift it. But that’s only a limiting belief, nothing else. We know we can alter our gene expression, and besides just because we may have a genetic predisposition to something does not mean we’re destined to have that problem. Once those limiting beliefs and fears are dealt with, and possible biochemical imbalances are corrected, the person can go from strength to strength. I’ve seen it happen lots of times. Ros confirms that. Ros’s website: http://www.roskitson.co.uk/

In this episode, I’m talking yet again to Angela Stevenson. This time we’re exploring Frequency Specific Microcurrent (FSM). FSM is an exciting new way of treating nerve and muscle pain and many other conditions using specific frequencies and micro amperage current. Interestingly, electricity has been used to stimulate tissue healing for a very long time. The recorded history dates from 2750 BC when sick people were exposed to electric eels. FSM as a therapeutic method has emerged over the last decade and it is a reproducible treatment for various conditions including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and myofascial and neuropathic pain. Links: www.frequencyspecific.com www.lowbourneosteopaths.co.uk www.bathosteopathichc.co.uk Research: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3576917  

In this episode, we are exploring EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), also known as tapping. EFT is a relatively new but a fast-evolving treatment within the field of Energy Psychology which is catching the attention of holistic practitioners, scientists, and of course general public. Many problems we experience are often a result of underlying emotional problems/blockages and EFT aims to release those blockages. Ina D’Costa who is not only an EFT practitioner but also a trainer of EFT explains more about EFT and what it can help with. Below you can see the links mentioned in the episode as well as links to some research studies confirming positive effects of EFT. Links: Ina’s website: creatingpositivelives.co.uk Association for the Advancement of Meridian Energy Techniques: www.aamet.org Research: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25530137 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23452711 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22986277

In this episode, I’m exploring the reasons behind the ever-growing number of people suffering from allergies and auto-immune diseases. The list of auto-immune diseases is growing all the time. Coeliac, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and eczema are among the more known problems, but even narcolepsy is now considered auto-immune. I’m going to investigate what are we dealing with, why is it a problem, and what are the reasons for this phenomenon. I’m also giving tips on how we can help ourselves to either prevent developing this sort of health issue, or control (or even reverse) symptoms if we are already affected. To get your FREE Guide to Creating Delicious Gluten, Wheat, Dairy & Refined Sugar-free Food click here.

On this show, Brian Reid, one of my colleagues from Chippenham FM radio, is sharing his health story. Brian’s cancer journey is a story with many positive and very important messages in it. One of them being: look after your health NOW. Get your priorities right. Don’t leave it until your body is struggling so much that you have to go through absolute hell and end up having to fight for your life. As Brian points out not everybody gets the second chance, which is an important thing to bear in mind. So as usual, what we’re saying here is that prevention is a much better option than cure. Link to Brian’s blog: https://brianreidsite.wordpress.com