Ross Walter Nutritionist and Naturopath health articles and blog

Reflux, Indigestion, GORD/GERD & Heartburn can be reversed!

14/5/2018

Do you suffer from heartburn, reflux, indigestion, GORD/GERD symptoms after you eat something? What causes this, and how can you get rid of these symptoms without medications (and their dangerous side effects)?

Acid reflux conditions occur for many reasons such as stress, your food choices, infections, nutrient deficiencies, reduced gut health, low water intake, and more. While the popular belief is that reflux symptoms occur from high stomach acid production, many studies show the opposite - that reflux mostly results from LOW STOMACH ACID production!
Reflux conditions are treated medically by using antacid products to neutralise stomach acid, or Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) medications. If at all, they should only be taken when needed for very short term use, but I've seen people taking these medications continually for years. These medications can have serious side effects, especially if being used long term.

PPI medications (like Nexium, Somac and many others) reduce the amount of acid the stomach produces. Unfortunately this mostly makes symptoms worse, causing osteoporosis (weak and brittle bones), autoimmune conditions, reduced digestion and absorption of nutrients, nutrient deficiencies, overgrowth of pathogens in the digestive tract (ie, IBS, SIBO, Helicobacter pylori and peptic ulcers), food allergies and intolerances, anaemia, a rebound effect of hypersecretion of stomach acid, and can even increase your risk of cancers.
Reflux conditions and symptoms can often easily and quickly be reversed! I have helped many clients clear their reflux symptoms by focusing on finding the specific causes in each person. Mostly it is a result of eating certain types of foods, or nutrient deficiencies. I investigate many aspects of your health to find the causes and then treating your whole body, and the symptoms will often quickly disappear.
If you or someone you knows has reflux issues, or has been on antacid or PPI medications for a long time, I would like to help reduce the symptoms and reduce the side effects of these medications.

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What is Pyrrole Disorder?

3/5/2018

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What is Pyrrole Disorder? It is a little known condition which can be initiated from severe or chronic stress or emotional trauma, which then triggers a genetic predisposition for excess production of a compound called HPL, which causes nutrient deficiencies. Because food nutrients are needed for a lot of functions and processes in your body, a deficiency in more than one nutrient will cause many seemingly separate symptoms. Specific nutrient deficiencies cause symptoms which result in Pyrrole Disorder (PD).

Many GPs and doctors don't know about or recognise PD, as it just looks like you have a bunch of fairly common symptoms, including:

headaches and migraines
digestive complaints - constipation, reflux, bloating
poor tolerance to stress
depression and/or anxiety
sleep issues (can't get to sleep, or interrupted sleep)
poor immune system and lots of infections
allergies and intolerances to foods or environmental substances
sensitivity to light, sounds, tastes
and many more symptoms (as shown in the above picture).

You don't need to have all these symptoms, but having more increases the likelihood. When I see some or all of these symptoms together as I do in many clients, I look for the root causes for them all. I also use a screening questionnaire, analysis of pathology results, and specific pyrrole tests.

Pyrroles is nothing to be worried about! If anything it is great to have this diagnosis, as it is very easily treatable mainly with nutritional medicine! I've seen the condition in children as well as adults over 60 years of age, and it's always a relief to finally have an answer to their health issues!

Pyrroles causes nutritional deficiencies mainly in zinc and vitamin B6, but also of lesser deficiencies in other B-vitamins, magnesium, omega-6 fats and others. Multiple deficiencies lead to all of the symptoms above, and more.

Pyrroles is very frequently seen running in families across multiple generations. It is VERY common in those with Irish and Celtic family history, and the reasons for this are unknown.

Some research shows that PD itself is very commonly linked to, and probably even a cause of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, some autism disorders and other neurological and behavioural conditions.

If you recognise many of the above symptoms (in the picture) in yourself, your children, or other people you know, it would be a good idea to see if Pyrroles may be the cause! I have seen substantial reductions of symptoms with the nutritional medicine treatment for this condition! And those who have improved feel like they have their life (and health) back again!

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PMS or menstrual symptoms indicate a hormone imbalance

30/4/2018

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Why are females so complicated?! I don't mean in a relationship sense, but hormonally! Male hormones (mainly testosterone) by comparison are generally stable (females may say that men are emotionally "flatlined"!), but there are many more dynamic hormones in a female (FSH, LH, several oestrogens, progesterone, testosterone and more!) which can change from day to day through their cycles.

Female hormones must be finely tuned and balanced for menstrual cycles, fertility, pregnancy and other processes. Unfortunately many things can upset the delicate hormone balance, such as stress, nutrient deficiencies (and excesses), alcohol, digestive system function, exposure to toxins and chemicals, exposure to plastics, and other potential factors.

If you are female and have any regular symptoms just before and/or during your period such as headaches or migraines, cramps (especially if severe), bloating, pains, acne, clots, being very emotional, sore breasts, difficulty getting pregnant, miscarriages, or if your period is irregular in frequency and duration, then you have a hormone imbalance. A "normal" period really should be symptom-free, except for the bleed! Unfortunately, other period symptoms have become normalised by doctors, when they really are signs of hormone imbalance.

In addition, if you (or any other female you know) has PMDD, PCOS, endometriosis, fibrocystic breasts, fibroids, or cancers of the breast, ovaries, cervix or uterus, these are more chronic and severe symptoms of hormone imbalance. Hormone imbalances can result in these very serious conditions. This is why hormone imbalances should not be ignored or hidden each month with painkillers and anti-inflammatories or contraceptive medications. The root causes of the hormone imbalance needs to be investigated and resolved. This is what I do!

In my detailed questioning, I will seek to identify all root causes of hormone imbalances. I may also recommend specific pathology testing, including a saliva test of female hormones (which I have noted that not a lot of doctors or even specialists even look at), before recommending a personalised treatment plan.

How good would it be to not have any PMS symptoms or other chronic female conditions (PCOS, Endo, fibroids, etc)?! You can! And I would like to help you have a "normal" period again, or resolve other female hormone related health issues.

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Are cravings sabotaging your health improvements?

16/4/2018

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Have you have tried to make some improvements to your food intake to improve your health, but found it too hard because when you try, you get huge cravings for your "normal" (ie, bad) food choices? It may not be your fault!

Research over the past few years has shown how your gut bacteria actually communicates with your brain to cause food cravings for more of the foods that they want to feed on!

When your food intake is high in sugar or refined or processed carbs (breads, cakes, pasta, alcohol etc), the sugar-loving or carb-hungry gut bacteria and yeasts like Candida increase in numbers. They can displace other good bacteria to cause an imbalance, and they secrete chemicals to the cells of your digestive system, which in turn sends signals via the enteric nervous system and vagus nerve (which controls your digestive system) to your brain. This is the gut-brain connection!

When gut microbes are feeling hungry, such as when you change your diet, they effectively tell your brain to cause cravings so that you eat more of what they want to eat! Clever little buggers!

Not all cravings are bad though, as when your body really needs some specific nutrients, your brain will trigger cravings for those nutrients, such as in pregnancy! When eating a balanced nutrition intake, your gut bacteria will also be in balance. But excesses of any foods, good or bad, will also cause a corresponding excess in bacteria which favours those foods.

As a Clinical Nutritionist and Naturopath, I always ask clients whether they are craving any particular foods, as this can give clues as to possible nutrient deficiencies or excesses, and whether their digestive bacteria are in balance or not.

What foods do you crave, or what might you have craved in the past or in pregnancy?!

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Does coffee really cause cancer?

2/4/2018

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A Judge in the US (30th March 2018) has recommended that Starbucks and other coffee companies must put a warning label on coffee products sold in California, because of a cancer-causing chemical produced in the roasting process!

The chemical in particular is called acrylamide, which is formed when sugars in foods are exposed to high temperatures when baked, roasted or fried. The amount of acrylamide formed is also dependent on the species of the plant, how long it has been stored or cooked, or other factors.

Typical foods which can produce acrylamide are vegetables such as potato (fried chips, crisps, hash browns etc), bakery products (toast, breads, biscuits, cakes etc), breakfast cereals, and other high-carb starchy foods.
But does coffee cause cancer?

Generally it does not! BUT acrylamide in foods such as coffee can increase the risk of SOME types of cancers in animal and human studies. This is despite the assurances from the Australian Food Standards organisation which suggests that there are no human studies showing this.

But cancer is a very complex condition for which there are multiple causative factors in each person, and there is no one single cause of cancer in anyone. This also means that acrylamide on its own is unlikely to cause cancer, and certainly not from one cup of coffee! Perhaps acrylamide exposure over a long period of time on its own can increase cancer risk, but the other nutrients such as antioxidants and others in coffee can potentially negate that risk.

There are many studies also showing the benefits of coffee in some types of cancers too!

Every week we see a study suggesting something like coffee, red wine, chocolate etc being bashed in the media as causing cancer, then the next week another study comes out saying how good it is for you! Nutrition science is so confusing if you just follow the sensationalist media, and not look at the details of the published studies. The summary graph attached shows multiple studies showing both benefits and risks of coffee, wine, tea and other common foods and drinks!

The issue with scientific research in nutrition is how well designed the study was. For example, whether a study was just looking at the increased risk of acrylamide alone on cancer and inferring that as coffee contains acrylamide, it causes cancer. Or whether whole coffee beans were tested for acrylamide content and then showing an increased risk in coffee drinkers versus non-drinkers. Or what temperature the coffee beans were roasted at, or the water temperature in the coffee, or whether a coffee drinker had good nutrition intake and lifestyle, or an increased genetic risk for cancer, or a thousand other possible factors!

Have your coffee! Drink it and enjoy it! I generally recommend 1-2 cups of brewed coffee per day at most, and preferably none after midday, as it can affect sleep! If you feel the need to have a coffee for an energy pickup after lunch, then there are reasons for this which can be explained and can be resolved without the need for coffee at that time of the day! You will need to see me for this!

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A Big Mac is a chemical nightmare!

29/3/2018

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The answer to the previous article's guessing game to work out what "food" contains a huge list of ingredients, including additives, colourings, preservatives and other questionable ingredients is: a McDonald's Big Mac!

Some of you got the answer, and some were very close!

There are many suspicious, potentially harmful or questionable ingredients listed in the 34 additives in this product. Then there's the GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) it contains: wheat, corn, soy, and in multiple forms. These GMO grains are often laced with the Roundup/Glyphosate herbicide, which causes further health effects. Many other ingredients are known to cause inflammation in many people, and its inflammation which is a causative factor for many of our modern disease epidemics of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer.

The Big Mac also has the following nutritional info:
Calories: 540 (over ¼ of your daily suggested amount of 2000 calories)
Fat: 28g
Carbs: 46g
Protein: 25g

As I've said before, know what you are eating! Use a free food additives app for your smartphone which you can look up the additives to find out what they are and what health effects they may cause.

The huge number of additives and chemicals should be a deterrent to eating this very highly processed product, as I can't really call it a "food". It's ironic that all of the added preservatives and chemicals will give the products a longer life, but have the opposite effect on your health! Or looking at it a different way - if fast food is meant to be produced and eaten within a short space of time, why are all the preservatives needed?!

There are many better foods which CAN help to give you a longer life: whole, fresh real foods, not this processed junk!

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Can you guess this common food? And would you eat this?!

23/3/2018

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I frequently tell clients and the public to check the ingredients of the foods they buy, and to use a food additives application or website for looking further into what some of the additive numbers are and what health issues they cause. Many people, I believe, wouldn’t buy or eat those foods if they really knew what went into them, and their health implications.

Have a look at the picture – it is the ingredients list of a very common “food” product, one which many people and children have daily, or very regularly.

What do you think this product is?

Please reply to comment on what you think this product is! And I’ll tell you what the product is very soon, and highlight some of the questionable and dangerous ingredients…

Would you eat this?!

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Is eating gluten-free a healthier option?

20/3/2018

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This is part 3 of my series about gluten-free diets, as it's Coeliac Awareness week! Coeliac Disease is a severe intolerance to gluten (allegedly). Is gluten really an issue and are gluten-free products actually healthier for you?

In the previous article on this topic, I mentioned that I have noticed different people having different reactions to gluten-containing products, or more specifically, different reactions to ingredients found in many grain products. Sometimes it's gluten, sometimes the grain itself, or the glyphosate/Roundup herbicide or other chemicals used in the production, or other ingredients.

Yes gluten intolerance is a huge issue in some people, but there are many more issues caused by other ingredients in grain products. These issues include the high amount of carbohydrates in grains and the quantity of them which our ridiculous food guidelines say we should eat, the anti-nutrients in most grains, phytates, oxalates, lectins, fructans, heavy metals, moulds, and all of the inflammatory effects and symptoms these cause.

Going gluten-free instead usually means changing from one type of grain to another, which can still cause the same symptoms! Weetbix contains gluten, but gluten-free weetbix (or other similar product) is still high in carbs, sugar, phytates, anti-nutrients, moulds, and other negative effects to your health. Just because some food or drink is labelled as "gluten-free" doesn't make it a healthier option!

I've seen gluten-free lollies, beer, meat, water, chips, clothes, and many other products! All of which have never had gluten in them anyway! It's all just misleading marketing.

For your health and that of your family, you should not only ditch the gluten-free foods, but also any grains and processed grain products. That way you don't get any of the negative ingredients or effects from them! Replace grains with whole, fresh, and preferably organic real foods - mainly vegetables, some fruit, quality protein and healthy fats! There are NO nutrients in grains which cannot be found in these healthier options.

Food labelled "Gluten-free" is just a marketing ploy. It's not healthier for you, unless it's "grain-free". Maybe that should be a new marketing campaign?!

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Is gluten really the problem?

16/3/2018

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This is part 2 of my series about gluten-free diets, as it's Coeliac Awareness week! Coeliac Disease is a severe intolerance to gluten (allegedly). Is gluten really an issue and are gluten-free products actually healthier for you?

In my experience, I have seen clients who have tested negative for Coeliac, but they react badly when they have gluten-containing foods. But some of them will be fine when they have "gluten-free" products but some won't be, while others are fine on "certified organic" wheat/rye products, but others won't. In believe there are several groups of people who react to wheat products, including some people who have:

1) A gluten intolerance - ie, Coeliac disease confirmed by multiple pathology tests, or
2) An intolerance to other nutrient components of wheat, such as lectins or fructans, which in susceptible people can cause the same symptoms, but not testing positive to a Coeliac test, or
3) A sensitivity or toxicity to glyphosate (ie, Roundup herbicide) which is sprayed on GMO wheat and many other food products, but which doesn't come out in the processing of such products.

The use of Roundup/glyphosate, I believe, is a huge and hidden cause of many digestive and other physical health issues, because it can cause a dysfunction in your digestive bacteria, as shown in a lot of recent research. Roundup/glyphosate is linked to causing many symptoms, including headaches and migraines, digestive pains, infertility, toxicity and even cancer and autism.

Will eating a gluten-free diet help in these situations to improve your health? The answer is... probably not! If you have an intolerance to wheat, eating gluten-free will do nothing good for you - it may cause the same symptoms! And if you have Coeliac Disease, you need to do far more than just avoid gluten - you must also avoid some other foods, and work on healing your digestive system, and reducing the damage that the autoimmune component of Coeliac Disease is causing.

Some research shows that completely cutting out foods to which you may be intolerant can actually cause you to become intolerant to MORE food ingredients, and cause nutrient deficiencies to make your health worse.

So what should you do? See me for advice!

Sensitivities or allergies to certain foods or environmental substances can be reduced by retraining your body to become less reactive to those substances. This can be done with a combination of improved nutrient intake, healing the digestive system, and togother with other treatments. If allergies and intolerances are a problem for you or someone you know, I can help!

See part 3 of this topic coming soon!

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Is EATING GLUTEN-free FOOD a good choice for your health?

14/3/2018

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This week is Coeliac Awareness Week in Australia, so I have written a series of short articles on gluten, gluten-free foods and Coeliac Disease. This first article gives some background on this condition and how gluten can affect your health.

There has been a massive growth in the amount and choice of gluten-free products in our shops over the past few years. This is due to more and more people having reactions and symptoms to eating gluten-containing foods. Considering that many of the "gluten-free" foods have never actually had gluten in them, is this all a fad or just clever marketing?!

Firstly, what is gluten? Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley grains, that's all! The word gluten comes from Latin, meaning "glue", as it gives dough its elasticity, helping it to rise and giving the end product its chewy texture. There's no gluten in oats or rice, but these grains do have similar proteins to which some people can still react to. Some people can react with coeliac-like symptoms with other foods, probably because of cross-contamination in food processing factories of gluten getting into other foods.

Different people can have a different reaction to wheat or gluten in foods - an allergy, an intolerance or sensitivity, an autoimmune reaction, or nothing noticed at all. Those who are "sensitive" or "intolerant" to gluten can have reactions ranging from mild to severe and which can include extreme digestive pains, headaches and migraines, diarrhoea, brain fog, skin conditions, mucus congestion, reflux and more symptoms. A severe intolerance to gluten can be diagnosed as Coelic Disease after several pathology tests are performed with the results showing a positive reaction to gluten AND specific antibodies, or a genetic test, and an endoscopy with biopsy to confirm. Coeliac Disease is an autoimmune condition, where the immune system is attacking the body's tissues.

An intolerance is not an allergy, and the blood test for Coeliac disease is NOT accurate and often comes back negative, which is why several different tests are needed. None of the Coeliac blood tests I know of check for all of the known antibodies for gluten - some check for 1-4 known gluten antibodies, but not for all of them. Hence why you can have a negative Coeliac test result, but still react in exactly the same way when you have gluten as someone who tests positive for Coeliac disease! As such you will get diagnosed instead as having "non-Coeliac gluten sensitivity" instead. Which in other words really means, you ARE intolerant to gluten, but because of the faulty test, you aren't officially a Coeliac, but you should still avoid all gluten-containing grains.

The next gluten related article will look at whether eating gluten-free foods is helpful for you, or not!

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does all disease start in the gut? NO!

8/3/2018

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There is a very common saying in Nutritional Medicine and Naturopathic circles, or amongst people who are trying to get healthier, that “all disease starts in the gut”. Perhaps this quote has become popularised from social media memes, but it is generally attributed to Hippocrates, a Greek Philosopher and physician about 2500 years ago.

The trouble is that this quote is wrong!

Or at the very least, it’s not entirely correct in all people.

Diseases of the digestive tract (ie, the gut) can contribute to a lot of chronic health conditions, if the digestive system cannot break down your food correctly, or if you cannot absorb the nutrients from your food, or if you cannot detox or eliminate wastes efficiently. This leads to nutrient deficiencies, toxicity, and chronic diseases.

But does ALL disease START in the gut? No!

I will give examples of other root causes…

Stress – this is an external root cause to many health conditions. Stress affects the digestive system by slowing down its function, as stress stimulates the body’s “flight or fight” survival mechanisms. Digesting and absorbing your food isn’t a priority in a survival mode, hence stress over a long time will lead to nutrient deficiencies and disease. Stress also directly weakens the immune system, so you become more susceptible to infections. Stress leads to high blood sugar, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, poor sleep, mental health issues, and plays a part in most chronic diseases.
Exposure to toxins and chemicals – these are more external factors which can affect your health. These can be absorbed into your body via the skin, lungs, in your food and water or even via radiation. Toxins and chemicals can have widespread effects to cause many health conditions too.
Your food – What you eat plays the biggest part of any health condition or disease, and is another external causative factor. Your food is far more than just something to prevent hunger! Your food is broken down and built back up into new cells, chemicals, proteins and more. Your food BECOMES you! Hence eating a good quality nutrition intake will mean a better functioning body, or eating junk food will not help your health at all.

There are other non-gut causes of diseases too. Yes, the digestive system function is critical to your overall health, but it is not the initial cause of many (or all) diseases as certain social media quotes suggest! But in a holistic treatment plan for any condition, the digestive system function must be investigated via questioning of signs and symptoms, with any issues improved or treated as necessary. And all other root causes of one’s health conditions need to be investigated and treated too. This is what I do!

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Is red wine or alcohol really good for you?

5/3/2018

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Alcoholic drinks may seem to be, at least when you are younger, something that cool, fun, confident or successful people partake in, and therefore its something to have more of. Younger people have a belief that "a little is good, but more is better", especially when it comes to alcohol. But is alcohol really all that bad?

There are some who promote red wine for it's possible benefits - that it contains resveratrol, a powerful antioxidant which can protect the body against oxidative damage which is common in chronic health conditions. Some studies show that for health benefits, you need to have 500mg of resveratrol per day. Since a glass of red wine contains at most 12mg of resveratrol, you would need to drink over 41 litres of red wine daily to get any benefits! But you would have died of alcohol poisoning only after a couple of bottles. The studies which suggest the benefits of resveratrol are often then misrepresented or the truth stretched a little by the sensationalist media, and further misunderstood (but believed anyway) by the general public who haven't read the actual research.

Alcohol is a poison, simple. It is a legal, addictive, and toxic drug, which causes far more deaths, chronic health issues and injuries than most other substances. And then there's the family and social damage caused by excessive drinking too. Alcohol is so toxic to your body that the liver will prioritise the breakdown of alcohol above the many normal functions of metabolism, to get alcohol out of your body quicker. This is why regular alcohol intake will cause nutrient deficiencies and poor general health, with many symptoms and side effects.

Alcohol contributes to a high daily calorie intake, as there's actually more calories in alcohol than sugar or protein per gram. Hence this is why alcohol leads to weight gain, obesity and diabetes too. Other major health issues caused by regular or excessive alcohol consumption include fatty liver disease, cirrhosis (thickening and scarring of the liver), liver cancer, liver failure, and even death.

Alcoholic drinks also have a diuretic effect - they make you lose more water in urine. The combination of too many carbs in alcohol, mineral deficiencies, and the dehydrating effect contributes to your hangover the morning after. Simple techniques or even supplements can prevent these!

I like a nice red wine from time to time. A subtle hint for my birthday, or any occasion really! But I don't have one every day, or even each week, or even some months! Having the occasional beverage isn't going to be a big problem, but a very regular intake will be.
The Australian guidelines for drinking alcohol suggests drinking no more than 2 standard drinks per day, if you are over 18, and not pregnant or breastfeeding. Of course less is better!

In short, will red wine help you with your health and alive for longer? Nope, sorry! The very limited benefits of red wine won't outweigh the negative effects of the alcohol and damage caused.

Cheers! (Have a glass of filtered water instead! ;-)

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What is body fat?!

17/2/2018

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With our modern and Western diets over the past 100+ years our foods have changed a lot, and our health on the whole has greatly decreased with epidemics of obesity, heart disease, cancer and diabetes being the biggest causes of death. All are directly related to poor food choices and lifestyle factors.

We have changed from a whole, fresh, organic, locally-grown and seasonal food intake, to a highly processed, chemical-laden, artificial, mass produced and carbohydrate-rich but low-fat intake. So it's not surprisingly really that our health in general has decreased. Some Western countries are actually showing a DECREASE in the average mortality rates - we are now not living longer than our parents or grandparents.

One of the biggest culprits on this issue is our ridiculous and corrupt government food guidelines which promote a very high intake of carbohydrate-rich foods as being healthy - such as grains, cereals, breads, pasta, etc. Then to make it worse, they also say to limit your intake of fats. And there you are - you've become addicted and adapted to carbohydrates and glucose for fuel!

Before the 1970s when the current high-carb and low fat intakes were recommended, people in general were much thinner and healthier too! Go and look at some old photographs of your family from this time! You will find it's hard to spot anyone who looks unhealthy or overweight! Sadly, it's the reverse now...

Our overweight bodies are continually storing fat for many reasons, but the key reasons are that our high-carb diets cause a high insulin response in our bodies, which in turn causes the excess glucose to be stored as fat, and also that our bodies are starving of real nutrients, and when our bodies are starving, what we may be eating will be stored as fat for longer-term survival instead of short-term energy production.

So how do we tap into the long-term energy storage (our body fats)?! Simple, reduce or avoid the things which cause fat storage - carbohydrates and the insulin response - and get "fat adapted" again!

That's how I can help you to lose weight - by helping you to become fat adapted! There are many other causes of weight gain - hormone conditions, stress, sleep issues, and many more. I will find the causes of your individual weight gain, as we are all different!

I'd love to help you to become "fat adapted" again, so you can use your stored energy and achieve your health and fitness goals! What would it mean to you to be at your ideal weight again? How would that feel?!

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February 17th, 2018

17/2/2018

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One of many typical quotes about health and nutrition is that we can be healthy if we eat "everything in moderation". Sorry, it's not really good enough!

Do you think it's ok to eat a moderate amount of sugar, when you know it causes weight gain and obesity, type 2 diabetes, inflammation, low immune system function, and even cancer?

And is it ok to eat a moderate amount of unhealthy fats, like trans-fat or margarine or GMO canola oil, which causes inflammation, heart disease ...and artery blockages?

Or ok to eat a moderate amount of toxic chemicals (like glyphosate/Roundup, herbicides, and pesticides etc) in your foods which will cause toxicity in you, inflammation, weight gain, mental health and digestive conditions, and even cancer?

Is the "moderate" amount of healthy food you may eat going to actually help to reduce the health conditions, symptoms, or deficiencies, from eating the "moderate" amount of unhealthy foods?

And what is a "moderate amount" anyway?!

"In moderation" is a ridiculous concept, as everyone has their own interpretation of it. It is often used by doctors and people who don't want to take responsibility for their food choices or how those choices affect their health.

As a Clinical Nutritionist and Naturopath I must be more specific when advising clients as to what they should be eating, in what amounts, and also what to avoid to reduce symptoms or to reverse their health conditions. I try to make this as easy as possible by recommending changes or alternative options rather than just cuttiing out those troublesome foods.

If I say something is "ok in moderation", then I'm not doing my job properly, as neither of us know what this means.

Do you want a moderate level of health, or a lifetime of good health?! It's your choice and your responsibility! I'd love to help you to get to the best health possible!

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medications don't fix any health condition!

1/2/2018

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One of the services I provide for my clients is a Naturopathic review of their medications, and how their medications can actually be causing some (or a lot) of their symptoms and health conditions. Sadly, people simply are not told what their medications actually do, or what side effects they will get from them.

Despite their doctor's best intentions, I've seen clients on multiple anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medications at the same time which cause devastating side effects, or being on multiple medications for which there are known warnings not to be on those together, or being on medications which they should not be on because they also have heart conditions or liver or kidney damage.

Medications really should only be needed for a short term only, but doctors generally prescribe medications for the long term which becomes very dangerous for your health. Medications like antidepressants, antacids, painkillers, anti-inflammatories, and many more should only be prescribed temporarily, while addressing the true cause of the problem. Long term use of any medications can be very dangerous. For example:

- Proton Pump Inhibitors - prescribed for reflux, indigestion, GORD/GERD, heartburn. These stop the stomach producing stomach acid, but this then prevents your body digesting proteins and carbohydrates properly, causing digestive issues and being unable to absorb much of the nutrients from your foods, leading to many vitamin deficiencies, weak bones and fractures, mental health conditions and many more side effects.

- anti-depressants - block or prevent the breakdown of your hormones and neurotransmitters, so that you don't feel "down". Side effects include worsening of depression and anxiety, suicidal thoughts and suicides, sleep issues, weight gain, weak bones, heart disease, digestive conditions, eye conditions and more.

- anti-inflammatories - most health conditions and symptoms are caused by inflammation. But inflammation in the short term is NEEDED, as it is a normal part of the immune system function to repair damaged cells and tissues, and to promote healing. However, long-term inflammation is what leads to major diseases. So anti-inflammatories actually prevent the body from healing, so you will never recover while you are on them, and your risks of long-term health conditions will greatly increase, for heart disease, bone diseases, mental health conditions, digestive conditions, and liver and kidney damage.

- chemotherapy medications - used as an extreme form of anti-inflammatory for some conditions, or for cancer. Known to actually cause more cancer due to cancer cell resistance to the chemo drugs, and stronger and faster secondary cancer growths.

No medications fix the causes of any health condition. They simply mask or hide your symptoms, so it appears to you that nothing is wrong. But by not addressing the causes, the condition gets much worse over time, and more symptoms appear, for which you get prescribed more medications to hide those symptoms, which creates a vicious cycle of medication dependence and worsening health.

Most health conditions are simply caused by a combination of factors which includes: 1) a poor diet causing nutrient deficiencies, 2) poor digestive system function, 3) stress, 4) unhealthy lifestyle (alcohol, drugs, smoking, poor sleep, no exercise), 5) exposure to toxic chemicals and other environmental factors, and 6) your mindset and emotions.

This is why Nutritional Medicine and Naturopathy is becoming more popular and accepted - because practitioners (like me!) seek to identify all the causes of your personal health issues, and then treat those causes, and promote healing! We can also offer relief of symptoms with safe, effective and proven treatments too. This is the only way to reverse health issues!

If you have long-term health conditions, or have been on medications for a long time and have had enough of the side effects, please contact me for a health assessment and mediation review, and to see how I can help restore you back to health!

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Folic acid vs. folate - are they the same?

1/2/2018

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If you look at the ingredients list of many packaged food labels, such as breakfast cereals, wheat flour, all breads and bakery goods (except those produced and labelled as "organic"), yeast spreads (vegemite etc), fruit juice and other foods, and even multivitamin supplements, they contain "folic acid". This article will explain a little about what this misunderstood ingredient is and how it can affect your health.

"Folic acid" is an artificially synthesised form of folate or vitamin B9. Folate, however, is the natural form of this vitamin, found in "foliage" sources, ie plant foods, especially in green leafy vegetables, broccoli and similar vegetables, many fruits, legumes and lentils, avocado, nuts and seeds, ground vegetables like beets and carrots, and many other sources.

Folate is needed for DNA synthesis and cell growth, production of red blood cells, for good mental health, energy production and many other activities. A deficiency in folate can cause many health effects, including anaemia, mental health issues (depression), dental diseases, skin conditions, and more. One of the main deficiency conditions of concern is an increased risk of birth defects in a baby's brain and spine, such as spina bifida.
Sadly, the Australian Food Standards organisation (FSANZ) makes it mandatory that folic acid is added to all wheat cereals, flour and bakery goods, except "100% organic" products and breads made from other grains such as rye, rice and corn! At least FSANZ and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (corporate watchdog) admits that products containing folic acid cannot claim that the product is "natural", as folic acid is NOT a natural substance!

In an attempt to prevent spina bifida birth defects, FSANZ decided to add folic acid to common staple food products - breads and cereals - and thus try to increase the daily intake of artificial "folate" in pregnant women. Why not just do an advertising campaign to get people to eat more vegies instead?!
Folic acid is not the same as folate - it is metabolised differently in the body, and thus has different effects, and like all artificial medications (which is what it is), it also causes a lot of unintended side effects.

Folic acid is readily absorbed into the body, often more so than for natural folate. However the natural folate is much more bioavailable (ie usable), but folic acid can actually block the effects of the natural folate, and over time this can lead to deficiency conditions mentioned above.

People who may have the MTHFR gene mutation (see my other recent article on this topic), will have huge issues with any foods containing folic acid. The MTHFR enzyme is needed to activate folate and folic acid, but people with this genetic mutation cannot effectively metabolise folic acid, and so levels of this artificial vitamin will rise to toxicity and cause major health conditions such as increased inflammation, oxidative damage, heart disease, and mental health disorders. Very sadly, I see a lot of female clients with infertility issues or recurrent miscarriages while on folic acid supplements for fertility and pregnancy. Folic acid in a female with the MTHFR gene mutation will CAUSE the recurrent miscarriages. This heartbreaking situation can simply be prevented by 1) getting a MTHFR test, and 2) avoiding folic acid supplements and foods, and 3) eating more folate-rich vegetables instead.

The decision of the authorities to force an artificial vitamin (effectively a "drug") onto most people in attempt to prevent a simple nutrient deficiency seems insane - it doesn't fix the cause of the problem, and actually creates MORE health problems! Recent research suggests that folic acid in cereals and bread or bakery products should not only be avoided by people with the MTHFR mutation, but EVERYONE, because of the negative effects it can have. Simply eat more plant based foods instead to get your daily requirement of natural folate!

If you have noticed that you feel worse after eating cereals, bread products, or supplements with folic acid, or if you are female and have had multiple miscarriages, you may have the MTHFR gene mutation. A simple blood test can be ordered to check for this, as well as advice for improving your diet to getting enough natural folate for a healthy pregnancy!

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always read product labels before you buy!

21/1/2018

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In the past couple of days I have been asked about a few different food products, to advise if they are actually ok, healthy or legitimate. Sadly none of them were...

By law, packaged food products must display an ingredients list (in decreasing order of weight), nutritional panel, and products are limited in what they can claim as healh benefits of those foods.

In the past days or so I've reviewed a "diet" jelly product, only to find it contains 4 known additives (artificial sweeteners and colours) which have been proven to cause cancer and are banned in many countries, and other additives which can cause intolerances or allergies, hyperactivity in children, weight gain, diabetes, and other symptoms and conditions. Or bottled water, from China?! How on earth does this stuff actually get approved for sale?

Another product being widely marketed at the moment is a "cholesterol-lowering" breakfast cereal, claiming to reduce your cholesterol by 9%! Why? All of the quality independent research in the last 10+ years on cholesterol proves that having high cholesterol levels does NOT cause heart disease! In fact, the same research shows that the lower you cholesterol level is, the HIGHER your risk of death by heart disease. Our bodies NEED lots of cholesterol - without it you can't make your male or female hormones, you can't make vitamin D for good immune health or to reduce inflammation, and you can't make the walls of hundreds of millions of new cells every day to replace old or worn out cells. Your energy production will suffer, as will your brain function, heart function, and much more, without good cholesterol levels. A 9% drop in cholesterol isn't actually going to do much anyway, despite their hype. For example, a total cholesterol level of 5.0 will only be lowered by 0.45, or a level of 6 will be reduced to 5.46 - not really an amount to get excited about.

The marketing of the cholesterol lowering cereal is a bit dubious or misleading at best, when you read the fine print on the box or their website... which says: "2g of plant sterols daily lowers cholesterol within 4 weeks as part of a healthy diet low in saturated fat and sugar"! The key words here are "as part of a healthy diet low in sugar", as simply lowering your sugar intake on its own will lower your cholesterol! Having a healthy diet without any grain products will also lower cholesterol, but weetbix on its own (without other dietary changes) will actually increase bad cholesterol!

Dubious and toxic ingredients are not only found in your "food" products, but other products you use on a daily basis too - household cleaning products, shampoos, toothpastes, washing powders/liquids, and many, many more.

Hence it pays to read and understand the ingredients in all of your products which you might eat, use or be exposed to. For your foods, I use a free app on my phone called "Food Additives", or for chemicals in personal hygiene or cleaning products, a free app called "Think Dirty". There are other similar ones around. I highly recommend using such products and checking product labels BEFORE you buy them in the supermarket!

The more you are familiar with the chemicals which you put on and in your body, and avoid them, the better your health (and that of your family) will be! Or better yet, just buy more fresh, real, whole foods, which don't come with product labels - vegies, fruit, quality grass-fed meats and healthy fats!

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No more codeine cough or pain medications

20/1/2018

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In 2015, Australia's medicines regulatory body, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), announced that the over the counter cough and cold relief products and painkillers containing codeine would be rescheduled to require a doctor's prescription, and no longer be available over the counter.

This decision was made partly due to people abusing these products, but also due to the side effects of codeine – as some people can develop a dependence on it and causing addictions, and codeine becoming less effective over time and this can lead to higher doses and poisoning, digestive system conditions, and withdrawal symptoms if it stopped.

So on 1st February 2018, you won’t be able to buy products with codeine without a doctor’s prescription, that's if you can actually get in to see a doctor at short notice anyway.

Considering the side effects of codeine, should you be taking it (or any other pain killers) anyway? Or what else can you do?

Pain is a symptom of inflammation. It is you body telling you to STOP what is causing the inflammation, or to NOT use that part of your body so it can heal the damage. If you take pain killing medications, you are overriding and ignoring your body's safety signals so you can carry on doing what you normally do.

What can I (as a Nutritionist and Naturopath) do about reducing pain? Quite a lot! Because pain is inflammation, I first start with looking at your food intake, and to reduce inflammation-causing foods. This will reduce overall inflammation, and thus some pain and other symptoms too! I can also prescribe pain-killing and anti-inflammatory foods/nutrients and herbal medicines. There are many to choose from, and it can depend on your symptoms, and the location and severity of your pain.

Many of the common pain-killing pharmaceutical medications are based on plant extracts - aspirin from the bark of the willow tree, codeine (and morphine and oxycodone) from poppies, and many more. While the pain-killing compounds were initially found in plants, they are artificially synthesised in medications so the pharmaceutical company can patent the compound and make a huge profit! They can't patent a natural product! The issue with this is that medications have just one of the synthetic "active" ingredients from the plant, which unfortunately often causes side effects of the medication. In the real plant extracts, like in nutritional or herbal medicines, the many other active ingredients prevent those side effects, as all of the active ingredients are needed!

Are there some natural and safer alternatives to codeine and other coughing and pain-killing medications - yes! My clinic has a large selection of nutritional and herbal medicines which are proven to be effective in reducing coughing, pain and inflammation, and without the nasty side effects of the prescription medications. I have created a codeine-replacment liquid herbal mixture to reduce inflammation, reduce pain, and reduce nerve pain too.

If chronic pain, nerve pain or inflammation is an issue for you or someone you know, we can help with safer treatments!

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What is MTHFR?

19/1/2018

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What is MTHFR?! No, it isn't an acronym for something very rude, but for Methylene-TetraHydroFolate Reductase, which is a bit of a mouthful, so MTHFR is much easier!

MTHFR is a human gene, which codes for the production of an enzyme of the same name. The MTHFR enzyme is important for chemical reactions in the body involving vitamin B9 (also called "folate"). The enzyme converts the folate in your food (mainly in plant based foods) into the active form of folate which your body can then use.

Folate is important for many purposes - the synthesis of DNA and the production of new cells, for "methylation" reactions (such as turning on and off gene expression), for metabolising amino acids from proteins (for hormone and neurotransmitter production), for the production of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, to turn off inflammation, for energy production, for critical detoxification functions, and many more functions.

The MTHFR gene and enzyme are especially important because mutations of this gene can have significant impacts on your health. Depending on which mutation of this gene you may have, of which there are 34 different ones, there are 2 main variants which can be tested for, because of their importance in your body.

Depending on the type of MTHFR mutation you may have, it can mean a 20% loss of function, or 40% or even up to a 70% loss of function to the MTHFR enzyme activity. This means that all of the uses of folate can be severely compromised. One of the biggest impacts of a MTHFR mutation is regarding detoxification of chemicals from the body. If your body cannot detoxify environmental toxins efficiently, this can cause a lot of chronic physical and mental health issues.

"Folic Acid", which is an artificially synthesised form of folate found in many vitamin and mineral supplements, is not the same thing as the natural folate. It doesn't have the same effects at all. But most importantly, IF you have the a MTHFR genetic mutation, you MUST NOT be taking any supplement with folic acid in it. Because your body cannot metabolise folic acid properly, folate levels in your blood and body can build up and reach toxic levels, and also inhibit the metabolism of natural folate. Some studies and researchers have suggested that even people without any MTHFR mutation should still avoid all supplements with folic acid in them. There are other forms of folate in supplements which are safer and more effective!

MTHFR mutations are common in people who have heart disease, glaucoma, many psychiatric or mental health conditions, some types of cancers, high levels of inflammation, infertility and recurrent miscarriages, autism spectrum disorders, and many other chronic health issues which don't seem to go away no matter what you do for them. If you suspect you may have a MTHFR mutation due to chronic health issues, you can get tested for this.

Testing for the MTHFR mutation can easily be done with a simple blood test. This test costs just $90, but can be very useful in helping you to achieve your health goals! If you have (or someone you know has) health issues which don't seem to be improving, despite being on a good treatment plan, then a MTHFR genetic mutation can often be the cause of this. Testing for the mutation can give peace of mind and the effects of the mutation can be greatly reduced as there are additional steps in a treatment plan which you may need to include. Please contact me or the clinic to arrange a MTHFR test!

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WHO INVENTED THE FOOD PYRAMID AND FOOD GUIDELINES?

5/12/2017

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Have you ever wondered why our government food guidelines are the way they are, or why they don't make a lot (or any) sense, or why we have the current worldwide epidemics of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other chronic diseases, when most people are following these guidelines?

Here you have your answers, if you didn't already know...

But first, who invented the initial food pyramid, in an attempt to tell people what they should eat to be healthy? I'll tell you: In 1924, a dietitian by the name of Mary Barber designed the first food pyramid. And she worked for this company...... wait for it...

KELLOGGS!!

What group of foods did she put on the bottom of the food pyramid, to tell you to eat the most of?! GRAINS! (see pic)

What do Kelloggs sell most of? GRAINS!

Way back then the food pyramid was designed to get people to eat more GRAINS, to make Kelloggs more profit. It wasn't based on scientific evidence that it was good for you!

And today, the situation is exactly the same.

Just a couple of days ago, the Assistant Federal Minster for Health, David Gillespie MP, sent out a media release highlighting the huge financial costs of diabetes and heart disease. It also mentioned that based on some research, simply eating more fibre from grains could improve our health and (allegedly) prevent a huge number of diabetes and heart disease cases.

On face value, that idea may sound ok to you, except that it was Kelloggs who actually funded that research! (see additional pics) Some 93 years after they first started manipulating the public, they are STILL interfering with government advice and the food guidelines to get you to buy what will increase their profits - GRAINS! (in breakfast cereals, muesli bars, breads, and many other products)

So what's the problem with grains? They are high in carbohydrates, which gets broken down into glucose in the body to cause high blood sugars, and in excess, it will be stored as fat. A lot of recent research shows that grains cause high cholesterol, high blood pressure, inflammation, low energy, IBS, and a lot more symptoms, and conditions such as diabetes and heart disease - the very things which the assistant health minister and Kelloggs are suggesting will prevent! It won't - eating more grains will cause more of these conditions.

The current food guidelines which still advise us to eat 6-11 serves of grains daily, were produced by the Dietitians Association of Australia, who accept a massive amount of sponsorships from food industry corporates like Kelloggs, Sanitarium, Arnotts, Campbells, Nestle and many more... this is a huge conflict of interest and it shows in their unscientific recommendations. The DAA guidelines are about protecting their corporate partners' profits, and not based on independent scientific research or what is best for your health. Hence why you should ignore these guidelines, and eat LESS grains, if you want to be healthier.

For the best independent nutrition advice, instead talk to your (non-DAA-aligned) Nutritionist or Naturopath. We have your best interests and health at heart, based on recent scientific research.

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February 17th, 2018

medications don't fix any health condition!

Folic acid vs. folate - are they the same?

always read product labels before you buy!

No more codeine cough or pain medications

What is MTHFR?

WHO INVENTED THE FOOD PYRAMID AND FOOD GUIDELINES?

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