Beat Winter Colds and Flu's with Natures Super foods

Now that Wintertime is upon us it is a good opportunity to enhance our family's immune systems using a couple of key foods.

• Breakfast: Steaming hot porridge served with stewed fruits and toasted almonds drizzled with honey.  Porridge is packed with key nutrients to support our energy and nervous system.  It is simple to digest and makes a great nutritious start to the day.

• Bust out the Citrus fruit wherever possible.  Start the day with lemon juice in warm water or squeeze a couple of oranges.  Lemon added to many foods especially green leafy veggies will help your body absorb the iron, a key mineral for your immune system.

• Stews and Soups: make for hearty nutritious main meals.  Whether it be a classic minestrone, Sicilian lamb stew with polenta or an Asian inspired numbers such as Tom Yum, Rotti Channi, or Curry Laksa.  These are easy to digest especially if slowly cooked and importantly warming to our body. 

Take the time in Winter to enjoy hearty warming nutritious and delicious foods to keep you well.

A Little Dirt Goes a Long Way in Treating Eczema

A Little Dirt Goes a Long Way in Treating Eczema

Health podcast:drtimnaturopath

Health podcast:drtimnaturopath

Being too clean linked to Eczema, Asthma and Allergy!

By Tim Howden ND BHSc MNHAA
The hygiene hypothesis.  If you haven't heard this phrase before it refers to the idea that some illness is linked to living in an overly clean environment.  This may certainly be the case with atopic disorders such as eczema, asthma and allergy.

Recent studies are now pointing toward environmental factors as contributing and predisposing individuals to these conditions. http://www.wholechildcenter.org/ACTatopy.pdf

The hygiene hypothesis suggests that certain individuals have reduced exposure to bacterial, viral and fungal antigens due to over use of cleaners, anti-bacterial agents and early life use antibiotic use.  A reduced exposure to such antigens alters the GIT landscape and skewing it in a TH2 dominant position linked to atopy. This means Eczema, Asthma and Allergy.

Interestingly, studies have shown that children raised on farms and who are around livestock have fewer atopic symptoms and a far greater chance of developing Asthma and Allergy.

Childhood eczema and hay fever leads to adult allergic asthma

Childhood eczema and hay fever leads to adult allergic asthma

Nutritional Medicine is Highly Effective for Baby Eczema

By Tim Howden ND BHSc MNHAA
I see a great number of treatment approaches that fail to address the complete picture of baby eczema.  Topical treatment and a change of soap cannot modulate the inner physiological profile associated with baby eczema.
The condition is immune driven and involves a TH2 dominant profile.  This all stems from the digestive system which is responsible for producing 85% of the adaptive immune cells.  Common to all children and infants with this condition is nutritional deficiency.  The body is simply unable to supply the nutrient needed to correct the inflammation of the skin either because the nutrients are absent from the diet or more commonly because the digestive system is unable to absorb nutrients from the diet.  This is paramount, because until the digestive function is corrected the eczema and associated inflammation wont resolve.  A qualified and experienced practitioner will be able to use nutritional medicine for effective treatment. www.eluvi.com.au/main/page_baby_eczema.html

Three Things you need to know about Atopic Eczema

By Tim Howden ND BHSc MNHAA
1. If the cause of eczema is untreated the condition is likely to develop into asthma, allergic rhinitis and food allergy.

Did you know that 20% of children presenting to their GP are given a diagnosis of eczema?  If the underlying causes are not addressed 44% of these kids are likely to develop asthma and of these 66% will acquire varying types of allergies.

2. Eczema can only be resolved by treating the underlying causes

The main cause are

• excess inflammation
• an under active digestive system
• an imbalanced immune system (this is related to the digestive tract) www.eluvi.com.au

3. Natural Medicine is capable of successfully treating and achieving long-lasting results

Given the right ingredients eczema and it's associated conditions can be put to rest.  Lets not forget the unquestionable ability of the body to self heal.  No where is this more pronounced than in children.  Generally speaking, their vital reserve is much greater than in adults and their ability to rebalance and achieve homeostasis is significant.

Simple Tips: Eczeamtic children improve greatly when allergenic foods are removed from their diet.  This first step is often overlooked as being too simple.  But in fact it takes a large amount of stress of the digestive system and starts the healing process.

Secondly specific probiotics and essential fatty acids like flax seed oil and evening primrose will help further restore function and tone-down inflammation.  The skin will undoubtably improve because of this.  Restoring digestive function by addressing any mineral and nutrient deficiencies will also help achieve long lasting results.  This is best achieved by working closely with a qualified health practitioner.