Tag Archives: supplement

For Valentines: 3 Rules for Fertility from fertility expert, Natalie Kringoudis. Rule 3: Sex

Posted on 13 February, 2013 by | Leave a comment

We asked fertility expert, Natalie Kringoudis, if she’d pass on her tips for conceiving a baby. She very helpfully wrote back a lot of information on how to tune your body for reproduction.

Natalie comments on the importance of blood flow, and it has been noted that this can be improved through the use of the herbal remedies like Ginseng and Ginkgo…

I’m regularly asked ‘What can I do to be more fertile?’

It’s actually one of the main reasons I wrote my ebook – Fertilise Yourself.

There are many things that need to be addressed to gear you toward a healthier, more fertile you.  Here’s the third of 3 key points to have your reproductive organs raring…

SEx

How much sex do you need to make a baby? Actually not that much. But how much sex do you need to be healthy?… That’s the million dollar question.

Many patients share their anguish when it comes to ‘baby making sex’. You know the kind? The kind that begins with good intimate intentions but that quickly take a turn toward the “hurry up and get this over with because it’s the third time in three days……  and I’m OVER it” kind.  Yawn.

The biggest mistake I see couples make in the natural fertility game is to confine their timing to what they believe is their ‘ovulatary window.’  This can be a trap for several reasons.

Firstly, we don’t all ovulate at the same time.  Ovulation doesn’t necessarily occur on the 14th day of the cycle.  The timing of ovulation can be quite confusing, which adds complication and explains why many people are missing the timing.

Secondly, limiting the amount of intimate time we spend, limits the amount of exercise our reproductive organs receive.  This means exercising them all month round, in order to increase blood flow to the pelvic cavity and to nourish and condition the reproductive area.

Also by increasing blood flow, we are nourishing the area with all it requires to work best.  If a woman has already ovulated,  intercourse in the later part of the cycle is essential to help feed the growing embryo as it imbeds into the endometrium and feeds off adequate blood supply.

This is especially appropriate for couples going through IVF. The same rules apply in the need for the reproductive organs to be getting all the oxygen and blood supply they can.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Complementary Health, Women's Health

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

For Valentines: 3 Rules for Fertility from fertility expert, Natalie Kringoudis. Rule 2: Weight

Posted on 12 February, 2013 by | Leave a comment

We asked fertility expert, Natalie Kringoudis, if she’d pass on her tips for conceiving a baby. She very helpfully wrote back a lot of information on how to tune your body for reproduction.

Natalie comments on the vital role of various hromones, and it has been noted that these may be regulated through the use of the herbal remedy Black Cohosh…

I’m regularly asked ‘What can I do to be more fertile?’

It’s actually one of the main reasons I wrote my ebook – Fertilise Yourself.

There are many things that need to be addressed to gear you toward a healthier, more fertile you.  Here’s the second of 3 key points to have your reproductive organs raring…

WEIGHT

To maintain a normal reproductive cycle, it is important that a woman have minimal body fat.  If you are overweight or underweight, at least read this.

Eating for fertility will help you get your weight to exactly where it should be. 

A loss in body fat in a lean person (as little as 10%) can be enough to delay menstruation or inhibit ovulation and this isn’t ideal if you’re trying for a baby.

Your menstrual cycle needs to be a certain number of days for it to be fertile.  Your follicular phase (the period of time from the start of menstruation right up until ovulation) needs to be a minimum of 11 days – this is so you have the right amount of hormones to ensure quality egg growth and release at the appropriate time.

The same goes for your luteal phase (from ovulation until menstruation). Again  – 11 days and no less for similar reasons.  If your menstrual cycle is short, it may very well be infertile.  If it is long, it may not be as problematic, but it’s important to establish why so.  Long menstrual cycles equate to less chances to conceive!

In underweight females, the secretion of hormones, specifically Gondrotrophin Releasing Hormone (GnRH) by the hypothalamus are abnormal in quantity and timing, leading to abnormally low levels of the hormone that stimulates the ovaries to make and release the egg. (Follicle Stimulating Hormone and Luteinizing Hormone).  Since these hormones are lacking, it means the follicles (or eggs) on the ovaries fail to develop properly and there is less secretion of progesterone and estrogen.

It’s a hormonal nightmare! Women with such conditions  may see their period arrive as frequently as every 14 days and as we have come to discover, this isn’t long enough for a ‘fertile cycle’.

Exactly the same goes for overweight women, where hormones are imbalanced and fertility is affected.  A loss of as little as four kilograms can be enough to set you back on your fertile track.  And men – your weight will also affect semen quantity and quality and affect the motility of your sperm.

It is vital that you gear toward your ‘fertile weight’.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Complementary Health, Women's Health

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

For Valentines: 3 Rules for Fertility from fertility expert, Natalie Kringoudis. Rule 1: Sleep

Posted on 11 February, 2013 by | Leave a comment

We asked fertility expert, Natalie Kringoudis, if she’d pass on her tips for conceiving a baby. She very helpfully wrote back a lot of information on how to tune your body for reproduction.

One of the things she writes about is the overactivity of hormone prolactin which may be lowered with the use of the herbal remedy Agnus Castus or ‘Chasteberry’….

I’m regularly asked ‘What can I do to be more fertile?’ 

It’s actually one of the main reasons I wrote my ebook – Fertilise Yourself.

There are many things that need to be addressed to gear you toward a healthier, more fertile you.  Here’s the first of 3 key points to have your reproductive organs raring…

SLEEP – make it count!

Sleep is the elixir to wellness. We know how awful and depleted we feel when we are running on adrenaline and not resting enough.  The consequences of sleep deprivation are not just that you feel lousy. It’s a sign that your body is severely depleted.  When we fail to listen to our bodies talking, we can’t expect great health.

Sleep between the hours of 10pm – 6am.  

It will absolutely lower hormone levels to what they should be, which makes you fertile.

Prolactin is a hormone that assists with ovulation.  When we don’t sleep adequately, prolactin levels rise and disrupt the whole ovulation process.  This can halt fertility.  Sleep is also key for several other reasons.

Our bodies all have a 24 cycle known as the circadian rhythm.  It’s the body’s inner time-keeper responsible for the day to day (and night) body functions.  One of its main jobs is hormone production.  When light is decreased, our clock tells us it is time to rest and adversely when there is more light, we are stimulated to be awake.  Alteration to this cycle disrupts the normal body rhythm.  Regular disruption to these patterns will most certainly affect our body’s normal working order – fertility included.  Most of the secretion of hormones is controlled by the circadian clock and sleep is one of the major things that will affect this – we need to sleep at the right time.

Women who sleep less than 5 hours per night are more likely to be overweight and drink more coffee.

Both of these affect fertility.  Weight alone can lower fertility by up to 50%.  Lack of sleep will also make you more hungry (as our body craves the right balance of nutrients, so it tells you your hungry) and will do whacky things to hormones, to the point where it can lead to diminished fertile mucus.

Men are in just as much need to a quality night sleep.  Their fertility (specifically sperm) is also affected as the testosterone balance is skewed should they not get enough shuteye.  Undoubtedly men feel just as awful as a woman do without adequate rest – also falling way to being over weight – again affecting fertility.  Men who are fatigued have a lower libido and are more likely to experience erectile dysfunction.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Complementary Health, Women's Health

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This is why your mum fed you hot blackcurrant when you fell ill

Posted on 6 November, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Are you looking forward to the winter?

My wife’s just invested in a new woolly jumper.

Meanwhile, call me boring, but I’m thinking of investing in some flu prevention tablets. I normally only fall ill when I’ve been working hard and run down. But if I do I can get over it in about a day, especially with a good supplement.

Sambucol boosts the immune system

Sambucol helps to support the immune system

So here’s an option… Do you remember your mum giving you a hot blackcurrant when you fell ill? There’s a natural remedy you can buy which delivers all those same powerful antioxidant benefits from a related berry – It’s called Sambucol and it hits colds hard with the equivalent antioxidants of up to 1000 black elderberries per dose. Black elderberries also contain a potent compound which helps to prevent viruses from spreading – perhaps the hot blackcurrant begins to make sense now?

Better still, Sambucol can add a further health boost by combining zinc and vitamin C into the mix, helping to prop up the immune system and keep colds and flu at bay. Plus there are further supplement options like adding multivitamins, iron and selenium.

Studies even suggest black elderberries antioxidants help 90% of people recover from flu within 3 days.

Not bad when you’re preparing for winter.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Antioxidants, Colds, Complementary Health, Health

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

3 tools for clear skin

Posted on 26 July, 2012 by | Leave a comment
3 great tools for skin care

3 great tools for skin care

You know the experience…

You get yourself ready for the day, look in the mirror and think,”What’s that!?”

Any plight on our skin, be it acne, eczema, premature ageing or skin tone issues can come at any time.

It’s worse when the outbreak just won’t go away, or does go and then returns with a vengeance.

Well, Viridian have looked into the research on how we should nourish our skin and found three consistent factors: inflammation, free radical damage and digestion. To combat these three elements they’ve created a trinity of Clear Skin tools.

Clear Skin Complex Veg Caps are a specifically formulated blend of botanicals, minerals, antioxidants and probiotics to aid digestion and designed to offer hope for a clear, fresh, blemish-free skin.

Organic Clear Skin Omega Oil is to help you get enough anti-inflammatory omegas 3, 6 and 9 essential fatty acids in the right balance. In addition, the oil contains antioxidants and vitamin E for skin cell health.

Finally, The Clear Skin Cookbook is written by celebrity and medicinal chef, Dale Pinnock, to focus on our largest organ, and how diet effects our skin. In the book he offers tasty and healthy solutions, involving the right vitamins and minerals needed to improve the skin’s condition.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Antioxidants, Complementary Health, Recipes, Skin, Women's Health

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Do you know what nutrients help you to conceive?

Posted on 26 June, 2012 by | Leave a comment

If you’re planning to have a baby then you want to maximise your chances of conception. But did you know that there are certain nutrients that play a vital role in helping the body for reproduction?

For example, L-arginine and N-acetyl cysteine are micronutrients which play specific roles in maintaining healthy female fertility. Nutrients like these are thought to help produce a healthy cervical mucus which benefits sperm survival.

Folic acidis advised by the government for all women from the very beginning of trying to conceive. It not only contributes to the healthy development of the foetal neural tube during the first moments of life, it may also play a role in conception itself.

Vitabiotics Pregnacae Conception

Supports healthy conception

Vitamins B12, inositol and zinc are also important for female reproductive health. And, as an antioxidant, vitamin E is important as a guard against free radical damage on developing cells.

Vitabiotics Pregnacare Conception contains all these special nutrients and more and can be used three months before you start to try to conceive.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Health, Women's Health

Tagged , , , , , ,

Life enhancing natural supplements – introducing the Reds series

Posted on 29 February, 2012 by | Leave a comment

If you’re feeling washed out you might want to try Spirulina.

The advantage of spirulina is that it is a sea vegetable containing the richest known concentration of nutrients of any food. It contains every nutrient required by the human body in an easily absorbable form.

The supplement firm, Lifestream, have combined their organic spirulina with the organic fruit acerola, a rich source of Vitamin C, to provide excellent support for your immune system.

7 berries of power

7 power berries

Lifestream’s Reds combination supplements

You may also want to try Lifestream’s Reds Acai, which actually blends together the organic and antioxidant power of seven superberries: acai, pomegranate, cherry, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry and one you may not have heard of: the noni berry from the Pacific.

Nutrients for life

Nutrients for life

As well as providing an energy lift the antioxidants will benefit your immune system and support anti-aging for your body.

Boost weight-loss

Boost weight-loss

Another life-maxing combination is Lifestream’s synergy of Resveratrol and Tart Cherry, again rich in antioxidants for improved energy and health, but also beneficial to sleep, heart health and your body’s joints.

Finally, Lifestream have also combined the acai berry and ‘fucoxanthin’ from the kombu seaweed to produce a supplement for weight management called Fucocai. Acai is well known for supporting weight loss and kombu is a food which helps raise the metabolism meaning you burn your calories faster.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Antioxidants, Colds, Complementary Health, General, Health, Heart and Blood, Joints, Uncategorized, Weight-Loss, Women's Health

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

If you’re having a flu vaccination it’s likely that you can improve it with probiotics

Posted on 21 October, 2011 by | 2 Comments

Did you know that probiotics are thought to boost the effectiveness of flu vaccines?

A study (see the British Journal of Nutrition) found that probiotic supplements may boost the effectiveness of the flu vaccine.

Probiotics increase immunity, but health experts don’t know exactly how the friendly bacteria help or why. However, the study found that probiotic supplements can improve a person’s immunity as a result of a flu vaccination. That means that you’re more likely to be protected from flu when it comes knocking.

But, when it comes to probiotics, if you need a flu vaccine, it’s still best to talk to your doctor about the safety of probiotics for you. Then, if you plan to take a probiotic supplement with a flu vaccine, it is suggested you take it daily for several days beforehand, and use it for a few weeks as well after the vaccination.

(Please note that the probiotics strains Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies lactis (BB-12) and Lactobacillus paracasei (L. casei 431) were the probiotics found to be effective in the study.)

Of course, as always in flu prevention, pay attention to basic hygiene as well. Wash hands, sleep well, include lots of fruit and veg in your diet, and keep drinking water or other fluids.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Health, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , ,

Is “vitamins kill” study a hoax?

Posted on 17 October, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Last week a surprising report came out of a study which claimed that vitamin supplements are dangerous to women in old age. However, should the statistics be viewed with suspicion?

Many respected news authorities reported the story, but now a few figures within the scientific community are questioning the reliability of the findings, with claims that the study was a cynical exercise funded by medicine producers who are anti-vitamin in their outlook.

Vitamin pills. Good or bad?

Vitamin pills. Good or bad?

So what is the truth?

Thankfully, the NHS runs a service called Behind the Headlines. It is very useful for checking the facts behind the health scares which seem to be published on an almost daily basis.

So what’s the truth?

First of all the NHS confirm that it is impossible to conclude from the study that vitamins kill. No one has ever died from taking too many vitamins.

Moreover, because the study was done on the basis of a questionnaire, the research could not account for all the factors which contributed to the mortality of the women and this also produced conflicting results. For example, those who ate more fruit and veg or already had illnesses complicated the findings in a way which meant that surveying the effect of vitamin supplements was, at best, vague.

The NHS advises that most vitamins can be gained from a balanced diet, but there are times when dietary supplements can be beneficial (particularly in groups who are at risk of vitamin deficiencies for reasons of illness or lifestyle). High doses of vitamins can have side effects but if a doctor has advised that you take supplements you should not stop doing so.

Can we trust the study at all?

Interestingly, the study was able to repeat findings that iron and calcium supplementation was consistent with higher mortality, but nothing can be proved until there are controlled tests on the safety of vitamin supplements.

Dr Glenys Jones, a Medical Research Council nutritionist, says: “Research in this area to date has had inconsistent findings, and what is needed to determine whether supplement use actually causes an alteration of mortality rate is a number of well-controlled intervention studies that can then be brought together and reviewed.”

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Complementary Health, Health, Women's Health

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Stop arthritis getting out of hand

Posted on 1 October, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Do you know someone who suffers from osteoarthritis? Perhaps you do yourself?

The good news is that researchers are finding ways to better manage bone degeneration…

There are already some useful ways to fight back against the pain. A good diet of foods which help resist inflammation for example. Foods such as colourful vegetables and fruit and fish are good choices along with healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, and olive oil. It’s a good idea to maintain mobility and apply temperature controlled relief to joints too. Of course, doctors are there to advise and may prescribe pain relief medicine.

A recent test however, shows the value of a dietary supplement called chondroitin sulfate.

When 162 adults (all with proven hand osteoarthritis) were tested over six months it was found that those who took the supplement had less hand pain,     better hand function, and less morning stiffness in their hands.

This was regardless of whether they used paracetamol.

It is always advisable to consult a doctor when using supplements, especially to assess what else can be done to help your condition. Many supplements companies are offering a combination of chondroitin sulphate, glucosamine sulphate and collagen as a benefit.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Arthritis, Complementary Health, Joints

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,