ThriveThrive

Food as medicine

by

Many modern maladies and the need to take medication could be avoided – or at least alleviated – if people had a better understanding of foods that harm, and foods that heal

BY JOSEPHINE ZAPPIA 

Gut health is imperative for many functions of the body. It’s a complex system vital to our overall wellbeing, and gut bugs help regulate metabolism and nutrient absorption. 

The needs of the body vary during different stages of life, and each person must find their most comfortable and beneficial diet. We are not only what we eat – we are also how well we digest and absorb our food.

Fresh is obviously best: freshly picked fruits and vegetables that are in season rather than frozen or packaged varieties are ideal. Organic produce is better again.

OBSTACLES TO CURE 

Some medications will disrupt the microbial actions in your gut, either by preventing and slowing bacterial growth, or killing them. For example, antibiotics will predispose to gut dysbiosis, a condition that occurs when the normal balance of bacterial flow, or microbiota, is disrupted in the body.

Cortico steroids are a common prescription in conventional medicine for inflammatory conditions. The prolonged use of cortico-steroids depletes mineral absorption, particularly calcium, leading to osteoporosis. Some useful natural anti-inflammatories are turmeric, boswelia and glucosamine (used to repair joints and reduce pain) but should be prescribed by a practitioner to suit a client’s individual state of health.

Sugar This might be really obvious, but I can’t tell you how many people easily dismiss it. The link between sugar and inflammation is convincingly high. Patients whose presenting complaints are acne, arthritis, fibromyalgia or other general inflammatory diseases should avoid sugar. Sugar prevents the proper function of the immune system, including cough- and antibiotic syrups. With a compromised immune system, the skin remains the eliminating organ for toxic waste.

Gluten are the proteins found in wheat, rye and barley. These proteins contribute to creating a leaky gut. A leaky gut allows gluten and many other foreign toxic substances to penetrate the body. 

We are not only what we eat – we are also how well we digest and absorb our food.

FRUITS, VEGETABLES, HERBS AND SPICES AS MEDICINE 

Aloe Vera: Used for healing purposes internally and externally and in the treatment of bruises and burns. It is beneficial for skin allergies and injuries. Used in herbal medicine for the treatment of ulcers, skin burns, and to antidote poison.

Anise: Used to loosen mucous and clear respiratory congestion. Also used to relieve bloating and indigestion. Anise is also said to soothe acne scars and damaged skin. Can minimise the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Basil: Beneficial in the treatment of stress. Tea can be prepared with basil leaves, infused with sage leaves, and sweetened with honey. Due to its antispasamodic properties, basil can be used to ease an upset stomach and stimulate the cilia in the nose to help clear the nasal passages.

Cardamom: A member of the ginger family, cardamon is used to relieve stomach problems and heartburn. Sweetens the breath similar to cool mints. Chewing cardamon seeds is an effective breath freshener.

Carrots: Juice a carrot and mix it with a teaspoon of honey for healthy eyes. Take in the morning before breakfast.

Chives: Used to promote good digestion and to help lower high blood pressure. They also make a good diuretic.

Cinnamon: Known as one of nature’s strongest antiseptics. Cinnamon also contains sedative components and is believed to lower blood-sugar levels.

Cloves: used to treat toothache and reduce inflammation.

Coconut: Many uses helping to protect and relieve the body of internal and external ailments. Coconut milk has many uses, most of which build the immune system and the body’s defences.

Coriander: Used to aid digestion. It is also known to alleviate migraine headaches.

Dill: helps to calm a nervous stomach. Also known to kill intestinal bacteria.

Garlic: The nutritional powerhouse ~ Thought to prevent all including heart disease, stroke and hypertension.

Ginger: Helps to stimulate the heart and circulatory system and also reduces inflammation. Use fresh ginger with boiling water as a tea for gas, flatulence, or wind. Dried ginger can be used for stomach problems such as stomach ache, diarrhea and nausea.

Grapefruit: The health benefits of grapefruit are enormous. A glass of chilled grapefruit juice, especially in winter, will increase your vitamin C intake. Grapefruit is full of the benefits of nutrients, vitamins, potassium, lycopene. It also contains calcium, sugar and phosphorus.

Horseradish: Promotes good blood flow. Horseradish inhibits the growth of bacteria and viruses and helps promote good blood flow.

Juniper berry: Is not a fruit, it’s a spice. Berries and needles, bark, wood, and root are all active. Juniper properties include antibacterial, anti fungal, and anti-inflammatory (great for skin problems). The berries must be tinctured in alcohol and eaten whole to be effective. The berries are used for urinary tract infections. The berries or needles for upper respiratory of GI tract infections. The heartwood, roots, bark, berries or needles are used for skin infections and infectious dysentery. The essential oil for airborne sinus and upper respiratory infections. Add any part of the plant to wound powders or use alone to prevent or treat infection in wounds.

Lemons: So many uses;
Helps heal hoarseness, inflammation (of the mouth and throat) and digestive disorders. Useful for gout and urine retention.
Useful remedy for asthma, fresh lemons very beneficial taken in the morning into a glass of warm water.
Useful for insomnia, nervousness, and heart palpitations.
Useful remedy for arthritis and Vitamin C deficiency.
Powerful natural cleaner keeping our stomach, liver and intestines in good shape.

Nutmeg: Helps stimulate the cardiovascular system, and increases concentration.

Oranges: One of the best sources of the powerful antioxidant vitamin C. Vitamin C is needed to produce collagen that strengthens the capillaries that supply the skin.  Vitamin C also enhances absorption of non-haem iron from foods consumed concurrently.Therefore a vitamin c deficiency will cause an iron deficiency.

Oregano: Used for indigestion, flatulence, bloating and to help ease stomach pains. Stand 3 tbs freshly crushed oregano leaves in 1 cup of boiling water for 10 mins.

Parsley: Strengthens the digestive system and is also used as a diuretic. It also has high levels of Vitamin C among other health benefits.

Pepper: Stimulates taste buds causing reflex stimulation of gastric secretions, improving digestion and treating gastro-intentional upsets and flatulence. Pepper calms nausea and raises body temperature, making it valuable for treating fevers and chills. Cayenne pepper is used to stimulate the digestive and circulatory systems.

Saffron: Eases fatigue and exhaustion and also strengthens the heart and nervous system.

Thyme: Relaxes cramps and gas, and also helps to relieve sore throats.

Tumeric: The anti inflammatory spice from the ginger family. Tumeric can be used with barley and yogurt for sunburn relief. Tumeric is also used to reduce the risk of gallstones. 

TREATING AN INFECTED SURFACE OR SURGICAL WOUND 

Honey has always worked! Honey is also excellent for satisfying cravings (among many other reasons) and help maintain a healthy weight. ~never heat honey~ Any organic wildflower honey can be used effectively in the treatment of antibiotic-resistant skin and wound infections. Actions – Potent antibiotic against all known forms of resistant bacteria that infect the skin and wounds. Promotes healing for wounds, moist wounds, peptic ulcers, and bacterial gastroenteritis; reduces plaque; good for gingivitis; facilitates debridement; soothes inflamed tissues; acts as a wound barrier; and stimulates skin and muscle regeneration.

TAKE THE MESSAGE:

The effects of toxic food consumption are not acute. It is slow, often silent and insidious, has long term consequences which are then often treated symptomatically and labelled “chronic and incurable” by conventional medicine.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Josephine Zappia is a qualified holistic health practitioner and counsellor, practising since 2005. For more than a decade, she has been practising homoeopathic medicine and specialises in skin disease and nutrition. She is also Australian ambassador for Still Aware, a professional community helping individuals deal with the emotional and physical aftermath of stillbirth.

 

Growing up in a family of fruit and vegetable providers, Josephine always intuitively understood the nutritional power of natural produce. It would be her own skin condition that would lead her to seek natural remedies and discover the ability to treat and heal the body holistically.

www.josephinezappia.com

The Beauty of Technology

by

A good skincare routine and sun protection are vital to maintain a healthy, glowing complexion. But there are times when they are just not enough to achieve the results we want. Enter cosmetic injectables and beauty device tech.

By TRISH HAMMOND

Once upon a time, we only had superficial weapons in our beauty armoury to address the signs of ageing and sun damage or treat “imperfections”, as we might consider physical features that bother us.

 While skincare products have come a long way over the last decade – especially the latest medical and evidence-based, vitamin-infused formulations – they can be expensive and, in reality, can only go so far in turning back the clock on the signs of ageing.

But we now live in a wonderful age where technology has allowed us to genuinely and truly turn back time on our appearance, with a range of non-surgical injectable procedures and device technology treatments that can provide outstanding results in a matter of minutes, days or weeks.

That deep frown furrow that you feel makes you look older and cranky? It can be virtually eliminated with some well-placed muscle relaxing injections. Bothered by deep facial lines and grooves, from nose to mouth or at the mouth corners, for instance? There is now a wide range of dermal fillers that can instantly plump out the hollows.

 In fact, in the hands of an experienced and talented injector, you can effectively “rebuild” the foundations and sculpt the anatomy of the face. Fillers, almost more than any other medi-cosmetic treatment, can provide instant results. Instant gratification!

We can now with ease minimise the features of our face that we don’t like, while emphasising and building on those we do. Here’s a taste from the smorgasbord of options available to Australian consumers:

MARVEL OF MUSCLE RELAXANT INJECTIONS 

Without naming brands, most people are familiar with the benefits of a medical professional injecting small amounts of muscle relaxant into strategic areas of the face to help soften, and in some cases, eliminate the appearance of lines and wrinkles in certain areas, usually where repetitive muscle movements have formed permanent grooves. 

While every face is different, there are some who exhibit the most signs of ageing around the eye area; for others, the movement of the forehead or brows can leave unattractive deep lines and wrinkles. But when it comes to regular injections of muscle relaxant in these areas, the result can be nothing short of miraculous as the face is restored to a softer, less lined appearance.

FABULOUS FILLERS 

There is a wide and growing range of injectable fillers designed to suit almost every region of the face. Again, in the hands of a talented and qualified injector, the clock can be turned back almost instantly but, as with any medical procedure, choose your injector carefully. The level of expertise and experience can be the difference between a subtle yet sensational result, or one that is disappointing, even alarming.

We can now with ease minimise the features … we don’t like, while emphasising and building on those we do.

LASERS- BIG GUNS THAT PRODUCE BIG RESULTS 

There are almost too many types of lasers to mention here. But as with all cosmetic/medical treatments, choose the best practitioner you can. Your laser professional can explain which laser is best for you according to your particular skin type and treatment expectations. In the right hands, sun damage, rosacea, fine lines, and even scarring, can be addressed. It must be noted, though, that multiple treatments may be required to achieve the optimum result. 

Other medi-cosmetic devices harvest a range of energies, such as light, radiofrequency, ultrasound, and cryolipolysis to produce specific outcomes (see Glossary for more information about these treatments).

FREEZE FAT TO DEALTH 

For some people, no amount of exercise and dieting can produce the desired results in certain areas of the body. Often due to genetics, they hold on to stubborn fat pockets in areas like beneath the chin, inner and/or outer tights, midriff, stomach and love handles. These “problematic” areas of the body can now be permanently reduced and/or sculpted with the latest cryolipolysis technology, commonly known as fat freezing (again, see Glossary). To reiterate, it’s vital to have an experienced and talented practitioner perform the procedure.

About the author

Trish Hammond is founder and blogger of Plastic Surgery Hub, which provides independent, down-to-earth Australian information on plastic surgery and cosmetic procedures. It offers real experiences and practical advice for women and men looking for suggestions and advice on available procedures. She started Hub when, after having plastic and cosmetic surgery procedures of her own, Trish could find little helpful advice from a patient experience perspective.

“At Plastic Surgery Hub, we feature only the most reputable surgeons and other related, allied medical practitioners. All of our contributors and members are reviewed, qualified and highly recommended,” says Trish.

At Home Physio Technology Breakthrough

by

The digital health industry is expanding rapidly, particularly during the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. With the impacts of so many people working from home and in isolation, technologies such as telehealth are helping to provide better access to healthcare for everyone, as well as revolutionising the way we capture and use data to support clinicians being able to help their patients, and track their progress.

Physiotherapy is one area of health care that is now able to assist most people via Virtual Reality technology to get better, or to undertake a rehabilitation program, at home.

Thrive talked to XRHealth, a company that has recently made revolutionary breakthroughs that have made having to do physiotherapy as much fun as it can be, which in turn leads to faster results, because most of us are more likely to keep up our exercise schedule if we enjoy doing it.

XRHealth’s Director of Operations in Australia, Esme Naidoo, explains: “We are really excited to launch our first Australian clinic, which offers fun and engaging physiotherapy via telehealth and virtual reality (VR) technology. This is how the system works; after an online consultation, all patients receive a tailored treatment plan and access to their own healthcare portal which displays data to better inform them of their condition and symptoms. We combine the application of digital health with personal consultation to offer our XRHealth patients the best chance of recovery.”

Esme advised that using their TGA-registered medical device technology, they can treat a range of physical conditions including whiplash, shoulder, neck and spinal arthritis, bursitis, rotator cuff tendinopathy, frozen shoulder, hip and knee injuries, and postural problems. They can also offer treatment for a range of other conditions such as ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, stroke rehabilitation, and Cerebral Palsy.
While the XRHealth launch in Australia is focused on Physiotherapy, the company is in the process of expanding their offering to include mental health, occupational therapy, cognitive therapy and more, care streams that are already in practice by their sister clinics in the USA.

most of us are more likely to keep up our exercise schedule if we enjoy doing it”

We asked Esme how one gets to use a physiotherapy headset at home, she explained: “The process to sign up with XRHealth as a patient is simple. Patients register online and have an initial consultation with their clinician of choice. Their clinician assesses their suitability to ensure they can safely use a VR headset, then the headset is shipped to the patient via courier to ensure prompt delivery.

“From there, the patient can see their clinician as often as required, with appointments available at a range of days and times.” She continues, “Telehealth offers more flexibility and convenience to fit around family, work and other commitments, meaning you can see your physiotherapist at 8:00pm at night if needed.

“During the clinician-led appointments, the patient uses the headset to complete tasks and exercises which are designed to give the clinician data to assess and monitor the patient’s progress.”

A great advantage of this system is that the data is available in the XRHealth Portal, which is accessible to both the patient and the clinician, so that both parties can track progress over time. The clinician can also see and remotely control what is on the patient’s headset during the session, which allows them to guide and instruct on correct usage and ensure that the movement is correct and appropriate for that patient’s condition.

In between appointments with their clinician, patients are given exercises to complete, both with and without the headset. Headset-related exercises might include a virtual boxing game, where the patient has to punch a colour as it appears on the screen, or a balloon-popping game where one has to swipe a sword to pop balloons in a row. Each exercise/game is designed to promote proper movement of a particular muscle or limb, and increase their range of movement, whilst simultaneously measuring and monitoring progress.

By turning these movements and exercises into a fun, interactive video game-like experience, XRHealth’s VR technology increases the likelihood that patients will complete their prescribed exercises correctly. It also captures detailed clinical data that their clinician can access to help manage the care plan and fine-tune it as required. This is something that has not previously been possible in a traditional face-to-face setting.

We asked Esme how people are responding to the VR headset model in Australia, she says that: “To date in Australia our patient engagement data shows that on average, people spend time in VR above and beyond their prescribed care plans, indicating they are having fun while getting better.

“We are conscious that many patients who see a physiotherapist in a traditional setting are not always very good at completing their at-home exercises, or may complete them incorrectly. The benefit of using the VR headset is that it encourages proper movement and motivates patients to complete their exercises as often as required, while also empowering our clinicians to monitor and influence their adherence to their exercise program.

“In a 40 patient Bupa trial we ran in May-July 2020, our patients reported high satisfaction scores, displayed engagement above and beyond prescribed care plans, and we were able to show a clinical improvement or resolution of the leading symptom.”

Esme explained to us that there is a mobile app that is used alongside the VR headsets which is also a valuable tool in a patient’s treatment journey. Patients use the app to review their data and progress, so they can see their results from when they started their treatment and then view their improvement over time quickly and conveniently. The app also sends regular notifications to the patient to remind them to complete their exercises, particularly if they have not logged in for a period of time, which can be helpful for those who may have lost motivation or need a reminder to complete their exercises. For those of us with a competitive streak, the app also provides statistics to the patient showing how they compare to other users on each app. This can offer an additional incentive to work hard and improve performance. We queried how we get the headsets and how they are handled with the COVID-19 cautions. Esme told us that XRHealth is responsible for the entire VR headset logistic cycle, including sending out headsets from their Melbourne fulfillment
centre directly to patients to be used during their care plans, which are then sent back once discharged. When they are received back at XRHealth the team enacts COVID-19 sterilisation protocols, software updates and repackaging to be ready to send to the next patient.

The good news is, XRHealth are happy to treat patients from all around Australia, regardless of location, provided that the patients have access to a stable internet connection. Esme says: “We are excited to be increasing accessibility to virtual reality physiotherapy, and happy to advise that our services can be claimed back from most private health insurers (depending on your level of cover) and we are proud to be a Member’s First Provider with Bupa. Patients can also be treated via all compensable agencies in Australia, private health insurers, DVA, Medicare chronic health
care plans, and privately.”

Check out this video to learn more about XRHealth and how virtual reality technology can help you

Thrive Issue 3

by

Welcome to the third issue of Thrive magazine.

Thank you to all of you who gave us such excellent feedback and valued suggestions for the topics and updates you would like to see more of in future issues.

It is a great pleasure researching for you every month, as we consult with health and wellbeing leaders to bring you diverse and comprehensive mind, body, lifestyle and relationships content to help and inspire in these ultra-challenging times.

As October was Mental Health Month, we have a wealth of content to help ease stress, keep perspective and motivate you to enjoy life to the fullest while embracing the challenges life serves up on our daily plate. Speaking of plates, we have more nutritious and delicious recipes for you. While especially good for those going through hormonal changes, they are ideal for the whole family.

Plus, inside you’ll find easy at-home strengthen and tone Pilates exercises, guidance on tools to keep you happier with your mirror image and more. We want to make sure we keep tapping into the topics and issues vital to your physical and emotional wellbeing, and that will enhance your quality of life. 

Read Thrive Magazine Issue 3

Thrive Issue 2

by

Welcome to the second issue of Thrive magazine. We’re delighted by the feedback we’ve had to our launch edition last month; how much you appreciated the diverse, comprehensive health and wellness information designed to help navigate these ultra challenging COVID-19 days.

As well as entertaining and inspiring you, of course! The Thrive team’s aim is to deliver quality content that embraces the core pillars of living your best life: physical health and fitness and mental wellness, nutrition and recipes, mindfulness, work-life balance, financial wellbeing, “real” beauty and more, along with celebrity interviews and inspirational success stories from all walks of life.

We want to make sure we keep tapping into the topics and issues that are vital to your physical and emotional wellbeing, and that will enhance your quality of life. So we’d love to hear from you. Please turn to Page 44, we ask for your feedback about Thrive.

Read Thrive Magazine

Thrive Issue 1

by

Welcome to the first issue of Thrive magazine, created through the COVID-19 period to provide quality, comprehensive health and wellness information and to entertain and educate you about the very cornerstones of living your best life.

In the coming months, we’ll be delivering you the best in all things body fitness and mindfulness, women’s and men’s health, nutrition and recipes, work-life balance, money and motivation, and beauty, along with celebrity interviews and inspirational success stories from all walks of life. We’re excited to have brought a team of highly talented and motivated people together to work in the creation of Thrive to walk-the walk as we talk-the-talk.

As the saying goes, from little things, big things grow and we are thrilled to have you along for the ride. Let’s do this!

Read Thrive Magazine