HEALTH HUB Latest Articles
What causes autoimmune disease?
The short answer is several things. Firstly, you cannot develop an autoimmune disease unless you have specific genes. The tendency to develop an autoimmune disease runs in families. You won’t necessarily develop the same autoimmune disease that someone in your family has; you just inherit an increased chance of developing one of them. Just having the genes isn’t enough though. You need to be exposed to one or more environmental factors that trigger off the disease. Environmental triggers include things like an infection, specific foods that your body can’t tolerate, emotional stress, exposure to chemicals or toxic metals; pregnancy, a [...]
Strengthen Your Core and See the Benefits
There are endless articles out there telling you how to get a six-pack, how to flatten your stomach, how to strengthen your core etc. But for the 'average Joe' person some of these methods are unrealistic and down-right confusing. The benefits of strengthening your core (including back, hip and abdominal muscles) include reduce risk of injury, better posture and a more efficient technique in all movements and sports. My tips to strengthen your core include: Aim to do a 20-30 min session twice per week Focus on engaging your core and deep abdominal muscles by pulling your belly button back toward your [...]
Eight simple ways to fix digestive problems
By naturopath Margaret Jasinska Digestive problems are one of the most common reasons people come to see a naturopath. Symptoms can be mild or they can be severe and disrupt a person’s entire day. Suffering with chronic digestive problems is stressful because the continual discomfort can put a dark cloud over your day and make it difficult to focus on your work or leisure activities. Digestive problems can be caused by a range of different factors. Some of the most common ones include: Coeliac disease Food allergy or intolerance FODMAP sensitivity Anxiety Parasitic infections Dysbiosis Insufficient water intake Digestive enzyme, [...]
Vital information for the weight conscious
The liver is the major fat burning organ in the body and regulates fat metabolism by a complicated set of biochemical pathways. The liver can also pump excessive fat out of the body through the bile into the small intestines. If the diet is high in fibre, this unwanted fat will be carried out of the body via the bowel actions. Thus the liver is a remarkable machine for keeping weight under control, being both a fat burning organ and a fat pumping organ. If the diet is low in fibre, some of the fats (especially cholesterol) and toxins that [...]
Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disabling neurological condition where there is patchy destruction of the myelin sheaths surrounding nerve fibres of the Central Nervous System (brain and spinal cord). When this happens, the messages between the brain and other parts of the body do not get through. What causes it? MS is an auto immune condition, whereby one’s immune system attacks the myelin sheath surrounding the CNS as though it were a foreign body. It is not clear why the immune system turns on its own tissue but a combination of genetic and environmental factors are responsible. MS affects over [...]
Herbal Supplements And The Liver – Are They Safe?
Recently a weight loss shake containing Garcinia and green tea was in the news – not for good reasons either! The weight loss shake was taken by an Australian man who developed liver failure and required a liver transplant. The weight loss supplement was blamed and the question was – is it the Garcinia, the green tea or whatever else that is in the shake? Important facts about this man’s diet and lifestyle or antecedent predisposing factors for liver disease were not revealed or discussed, so it is impossible to really know what caused his liver failure. Typically, the ever-hungry sensationalist [...]
Thyroid problems following childbirth
Thyroid problems following childbirth By naturopath Margaret Jasinska Thyroid problems are far more common in women than men. It is extremely common for them to first manifest after giving birth. This condition is known as postpartum thyroiditis. It just means inflammation of the thyroid gland. In most causes the cause is autoimmune disease. Postpartum thyroiditis occurs in five to nine percent of women during the first six months after giving birth. The thyroid gland can become enlarged but this is usually not painful. Symptoms of postpartum thyroiditis There are usually two phases to this disease: [...]
Vaccination – a vexed dilemma
by Dr Sandra Cabot Sometimes in medicine there is a perfect solution for a disease – such as penicillin for syphilis or weight loss to reverse diabetes type 2. However, when it comes to infectious diseases the battle is far from over, and infectious diseases remain a leading cause of death, especially in poor countries. Universal vaccination of babies and young children today has become a political and emotional topic and parents often find the issue overwhelming and confusing. It is a very polarising subject that causes great discussion in the community. Overall, I am a firm believer in vaccination [...]
Boosting Your Metabolism
Essentially, metabolism is the speed at which the motor of our body is running and the rate can be referred to as the amount of calories we burn per day. Approximate 60 to 75 percent of energy is used by the body in such activities when we are at rest or sleeping. There are many ways you can boost your metabolism which include: not skipping meals, exercising everyday especially in the morning before breakfast, drinking plenty of water, eating foods with a high nutritional value, avoiding alcohol and sugar-laden foods, not fasting, and strengthening your bones and muscles to increase lean muscle tissue. [...]
Australia is facing a ‘surge’ in dementia
The number of Australians living with dementia is forecast to double by 2030 (that's only 14 years from now!). Today there are 234,000 Australians diagnosed with dementia and by 2030 it will increase to more than 465,000. The number of carers, both paid carers and non-paid family members, will have to increase in size by 76 per cent on today's levels if it is to meet the demand. This surge in dementia is reflective of an ageing population and also earlier diagnosis. The Access Economics report, commissioned by Alzheimer's Australia, said the carer sector would need another 60,000 paid workers and [...]