Health & Wellbeing Podcast #30

When I spoke at the Wise Women Gathering on Chronic Pain earlier this year, I had so much information that I wanted to share, but I couldn’t fit it into an hour. I didn’t even get to begin on the topic of fibromyalgia, so decided instead to share that information in a podcast. It took me a little while to get it to you (what with having a baby and everything) but here it is.

You can see my earlier podcasts on Chronic Pain here: Part 1 and Part 2.

Photo by Ryanwar Hanif on Unsplash

In this podcast I talk about:

• The evolution of Fibromyalgia
• The groups of people it mostly affects
• The diagnosis of fibromyalgia
• The difference between chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia
• Current conventional treatment of fibromyalgia and it’s limitations
• What is currently understood to be the cause(s) of fibromyalgia
• The connection between emotions and fibromyalgia severity
• Ways to improve fibromyalgia
• Sleep and fibromyalgia
• Herbs and nutrients for fibromyalgia

Listen on the Soundcloud website here or in the embedded player below.

iPhone   Stitcher   Youtube   Soundcloud  Spotify 

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Health & Wellbeing Podcast #27

This episode is part 2 of the Chronic Pain & Inflammation series, covering what natural methods can be helpful for dealing with the underlying causes of chronic pain, as well as some naturals ways to reduce symptoms and provide relief.

In this episode I discuss herbal medicine, nutrition (diet and supplementation) for dealing with pain, as well as the techniques to support the mental aspect of pain.

If you haven’t had a chance to listen to the first episode you can check it out here: Chronic Pain and Inflammation – Part 1

Photo by Daria Nepriakhina on Unsplash

Most people will experience pain at some stage in their lives, however for some this pain can be chronic, at times severe. Many people struggle with the side effects of conventional pain medications, and turn to natural medicine for support.
Herbal medicine and food can be used to assist in the management of pain conditions, both in addressing the underlying cause of pain conditions, and in providing some pain relief.

Listen on the Soundcloud website here or in the embedded player below.

Want to subscribe to get podcasts automatically? You can do that here:

iPhone   Stitcher   Youtube   Soundcloud

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Health & Wellbeing Podcast #24

Medical Marijuana – Interview with Dr Rachna Patel

Medical Marijuana (Cannabis) has recently been legalised in Australia, and in 2017 some GPs and specialists will be able to prescribe it. It is still uncertain what conditions Cannabis will be prescribed for, however looking to the countries which are already using it we can see that there a lot of potential conditions it can help with.

Chronic pain, anxiety, inflammatory bowel conditions, post traumatic stress disorder and nausea are some of the potential conditions which it may be approved for.

There are a lot of uncertainties that people will have about this, and to answer my own curiosities as well as provide some information for you, I have asked these questions of an expert in Medical Marijuana – Dr Rachna Patel. I wanted to know how it could be used safely, what sort of research is out there, how you can get benefits from medical marijuana without getting high, how best to take medical marijuana, and are there conditions which medical marijuana shouldn’t be used for.

About Dr Patel

Dr. Rachna Patel has been practicing in the area of Medical Marijuana since 2012.

She step-by-step walks patients through how to use medical marijuana for their specific medical condition without getting high off of it, without getting addicted to it, without building a tolerance to it, and without smoking it.

She speaks from the experience of having treated thousands of patients and having read research study upon research study on marijuana.

She completed her medical studies at Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine and her undergraduate studies at Northwestern University.

You can learn more about the work she does at www.DrRachnaPatel.com

Dr Patel answering commonly asked questions on Youtube

Dr Patel on Facebook

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Oil Pulling

Oil pulling is quite an old tradition that developed from Ayurvedic principles (traditional Indian medicine).  It’s a very simple practice that only takes 20 minutes out of your daily routine, but the benefits are many.  

What is it?

Oil pulling is considered to be helpful for an enormous range of conditions – ranging from issues such as general dental health, arthritis, inflammation, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.  Traditionally it was considered to work by drawing out toxins from the salivary glands, however as it has become increasingly popular in the last few years, researchers have looked into the practice and found that it provides its benefits by addressing the ‘bad’ bacteria in your mouth – you could say that it PULLS the bad bacteria out.  This action has a huge flow on effect to the rest of the digestive system, and therefore the rest of the body. Oil pulling also acts as a form of tongue massage, which acts on pressure points to support healthy energy flow along the meridians that flow all throughout your body, in a style similar to reflexology and acupressure.   

By reducing the bad bacteria in your teeth and mouth you can not only improve your dental health (by reducing the bacteria that cause plaque), whiten teeth and nourish gum health, but also improve the balance in the rest of your digestive system (remember the mouth is the entrance to the digestive system, so removing bad guys here will help further on down the line).  The good bacteria in your gut have an enormous amount of roles in the body – digestive bacteria affects inflammation, immune health, mood, hormone balance, and even contributes towards cardiovascular health (amazingly, an analysis of cardiovascular plaque has found that it contains a large amount of ‘bad’ bacteria which originate in the mouth and stomach!).    

Which Oil do I use?

Traditionally oil pulling was performed with sunflower or canola oil, and sesame oil is also a popular choice.  You could use any form of oil as long as it is organic and cold pressed.  Cold-pressed sesame oil won’t have as strong a taste as the type that you cook your stir-fries with.  Coconut oil is my personal preference due its taste, and is the most common recommendation amongst oil pulling advocates.  At the moment it’s probably one of the easiest to find in large quantities as well.  (Some people don’t like the consistency of coconut oil when it’s set which happens in colder months, so you can melt it before putting it in your mouth.  Personally, I like it!  It’s like a coco nutty treat, also like I’ve bitten into a Bounty.)  You can add a 3-4 of drops of oregano oil for its anti-microbial properties, however you might want to start with only 1 drop as this can be quite strong for some.

How to do it:

Take 1 tbsp coconut oil in your mouth, and swish around for 20 minutes.  You want to ensure that the oil is getting between your teeth and over and under your tongue.  Then spit it out!  Couldn’t be simpler.

During this time you can get creative about what else to do.  Read a book?  Take a shower?  Make the bed?  Clean the house? Prepare your lunch?  Water the garden?  Chill under a tree?  You can do anything as long as your don’t have to open your mouth.   

After the 20 minutes are up, SPIT the oil out (not into the sink or toilet as it can clog the pipes).  Then rinse your mouth thoroughly with water, and brush your teeth (consider keeping a separate toothbrush just for this purpose, and wash it with 3% hydrogen peroxide to kill the bacteria).  

It is very important not to swallow this oil, as it contains bacteria that you want to get rid of.  While you’re getting used to oil pulling you may accidentally swallow some of it, but keep working on it.  

If you are new to oil pulling, you may find it a bit challenging and need to spit the oil out earlier as the sensation can be a little strange.   (I only lasted 5 minutes the first time I did it!)  Try starting with a tsp instead of a tbsp.  After a few minutes of oil pulling you’ll feel like the oil has increased in quantity, it’s your saliva joining the coconut oil.  You’ll get used to this.  Try not to swish too vigorously as your jaw may get tired after 20 minutes – gently does it.  

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