Gut health is more important than most people realise. The good news is that you can improve gut health. Your gut contains hundreds of species of bacteria, many of which can be very beneficial for your health. Beneficial species are beneficial because they produce substances such as vitamins. However, another important role is that they […]
Gut health and digestion
The Gut-Skin Connection: How The Gut Microbiome Affects Acne
Acne affects most people at some time in their lives, causing a lack of confidence and low self-esteem. With an almost desperate need to get clearer skin, it is common to use many skincare products and antibiotic treatments. But, looking at what is happening in your body that causes your acne can be a better […]
SIBO: it’s important to find the possible causes
I see a lot of information about SIBO on websites and social media, especially in relation to giving advice on how to cope with the symptoms. Symptoms Common symptoms of SIBO include: bloating nausea or vomiting diarrhoea fatigue weight loss joint pain skin problems depression malnutrition Yet many of these symptoms are the same as […]
How herbal medicines work from a modern perspective
As a herbalist, part of my work involves the need to keep up with current research. Actually, as a bit of a science geek, it is a part I really enjoy. And especially I have to admit that it is very satisfying when published research supports years of traditional herbal use. Particularly when previous unfavourable […]
The role of ageing in gut health and osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a progressive and degenerative joint disease. It causes a great deal of pain and disability for millions of people. It commonly affects older people and we used to think it was caused by wear and tear. But, scientists now think there might be other causes. One such cause involves a link between gut […]
Can a leaky gut make you ill?
As a practitioner that uses functional medicine principles it is clear to me that to improve the health of someone with a complex, chronic condition, factors that contribute to the progression or the severity of that condition must be addressed. We might start by optimising lifestyle factors, such as diet, quality of sleep, type of […]
Some reasons a low FODMAP diet may not work for IBS
Research shows that if you have irritable bowel syndrome, eating a diet low in FODMAPs is likely to reduce your symptoms. I discuss what FODMAPs are and how they help IBS here. Briefly a low FODMAP diet restricts foods that contain certain types of carbohydrates, specifically fermentable carbohydrates. However, though a low FODMAP diet is […]
Does ginger protect against stomach ulcers?
Ginger is a well known pungent, culinary spice, but it also has remarkable health-promoting properties. For instance, I’ve previously written about the use of ginger for easing painful periods and preventing menstrual migraines. But, ginger offers much more than pain relief. In this scientific review in the Royal Society of Chemistry Journal: Food and Function, […]
Simple herbal remedies for heartburn
Heartburn is a symptom of GORD or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, also known as GERD. This burning sensation is due to liquid from the stomach rising up the gullet or oesophagus. Which can also leave a nasty taste in the mouth. This can be an occasional nuisance or it can be a severe and lifelong problem. […]
Food as medicine to prevent chronic disease
Given the regularity of food related news headlines, and especially those that seem to contradict ‘last week’s news’, it’s perhaps not surprising that many people are unsure about what they should believe. What should we eat to improve our health or even prevent chronic disease? Low fat or low carb? What about grains or gluten? […]
Reduce your IBS symptoms with a low FODMAPs diet
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common condition of the gastrointestinal tract, and many people say that food either triggers or exacerbate their IBS symptoms. Yet, there is considerable evidence that making a change to a diet low in FODMAPs can help to reduce these symptoms. IBS is a functional condition, meaning that there are […]
How to soothe irritable bowel syndrome with a hot oil poultice
A 2015 German study tested the use of hot oil poultices on people with irritable bowel syndrome. They found that using a hot oil poultice appeared to be a safe and effective method of reducing pain related to IBS. The researchers also reported that although the most benefit was likely to due to the application […]
Are you happy with your current irritable bowel syndrome treatment?
If you have irritable bowel syndrome and are currently receiving treatment, the chances are, that your answer to this question will be no. In fact, research demonstrates that less than 40% of patients are satisfied with their current irritable bowel syndrome treatment. Which means that in the UK, where an estimated 6.5 to 13 million […]
Is all processed food unhealthy?
The extent to which a food is processed is a major determinant in how healthy that food is. The Western diet includes many processed foods and even some ultra-processed foods. Researchers now think that this processing may have a large role in what makes the typical Western diet unhealthy. Food processing includes food preparation methods […]
Probiotics and migraine prevention
Migraine headaches are a common, often chronic and recurring condition. Though I have only ever had one migraine headache myself, I remember how bad it felt and so I can understand how devastating recurring migraine headaches could be. In my post Can a leaky gut cause migraines? I discuss a possible link between gut health and […]
How to prevent traveller’s diarrhoea
Research suggests that Delhi belly, or traveller’s diarrhoea affects up to half of travellers to developing countries. With around a billion international traveller’s per year, that makes traveller’s diarrhoea a common problem. Yet the microbes that cause this gut infection are present in developed countries too. So, wherever you travel, knowing how to prevent traveller’s diarrhoea could help […]
How to get rid of bloating
This is the second part in a series of posts. The first article covered What causes bloating, and this one follows up with how to get rid of bloating. Though relieving the symptom of bloating is important, as with many chronic health concerns to make a permanent improvement, it is necessary to find the underlying […]
What causes bloating?
A lot of people know the feeling of having a bloated tummy. That uncomfortable, unpleasantly full feeling, similar to the sensation of having eaten too much over the festive season for example. Yet, up to 25% of healthy people report having bloating frequently, and for some people bloating can be a daily occurrence. This is the […]
4R – Nutrients that repair a leaky gut
This is the next in a series of blog posts about the 4R program for optimising your digestion and gut health. Here I discuss ways to repair a leaky gut. You can read the previous posts in the series by following the links below. 1 Optimise your digestive health 2 4R program – Remove the triggers […]
The autoimmune diet that puts autoimmune disease into remission
If you had an autoimmune disease wouldn’t you want to know about a diet that helped in just six weeks? Well, that is what this study shows. 73% of people with inflammatory bowel disease were helped in weeks by an autoimmune diet. What is inflammatory bowel disease? The inflammatory bowel diseases are ulcerative colitis and […]
