Home   Whats On   Article

Subscribe Now

Carole Baker from The Self Centre, in Bury St Edmunds, looks back over the topics she has covered in her Culture column to promote health and wellbeing using natural remedies




So folks, this is my last monthly health and wellness column and I’d like to start by thanking you all for reading and for taking the time to email me with your lovely feedback.

Many of my chosen topics have been related to certain health awareness days and others were prompted with my obsession with yoga and natural remedies and the many books and scientific studies I read. I can’t believe we have covered over 39 topics; here is a little summary of some of what we have learned since September 2016

Natural remedies for high blood pressure (hypertension) – garlic, hibiscus tea, coconut water, slow your breath down and try Yoga’s Bridge Pose – ditch the caffeine and reduce the alcohol.

614876516 (24009727)
614876516 (24009727)

Arthritis – drink more water, glucosamine and chondroitin may help to rebuild the cartilage, calcium and magnesium to strengthen bones and MOVE each joint in its natural range of movement daily to keep the synovial fluid doing its job.

SAD – B vitamins, zinc and magnesium, omega 3’s and vitamin D (sunlight!) Improve energy with yoga backbends like upward facing dog pose.

Strength and flexibility – be balanced like a tree with a strong core but the ability to stretch and move with the wind – yoga tree pose.

Healthy non-alcoholic drinks for Dry January – pomegranate juice, kefir, ginger tea, coconut water.

Random acts of kindness. . . the benefits – tones the vagus nerve (numerous health benefits) practice loving kindness meditation.

The lost art of conversation – how face-to-face chat is what we humans need to do to benefit our mental health.

Stress awareness and prevention – breathing at five breaths per minute, B vitamins, dark chocolate reduces cortisol and St John’s Wort is as effective as Prozac without the side effects (not if you are on warfarin).

Digestion, the gut-brain connection – how your diet affects everything you do. Prebiotic foods and probiotics.

Aromatherapy awareness – my top five lavender for insomnia, bites, stings. Tea tree for antiviral. Peppermint for digestion and headaches. Rosemary to stimulate your brain, Jasmine as an antidepressant.

Summer holiday natural remedies – carrots for diarrhoea, slippery elm for tummy trouble, ginger tea or sweets for travel sickness, apis for stings and insect bites treatment, arnica for bruises, citronella to prevent insect bites.

Reflexology, the benefits – self reflexology points to try at home. . . big toe is the neck and the arch of the foot is your spine.

ADHD – avoid sugar, gluten and cows' milk, nolourings, MSG, artificial sweeteners and nitrates. Supplement with Omega 3’s, B vits and probiotics.

Love your liver – take milk thistle during the festive season to help support detoxification of alcohol. Dandelion roots and leaves, globe artichokes and beetroot offer support.

Honey, the benefits – pollen allergy treatment, antioxidant, sleep promoter, wound healer, cough syrup.

Preventing blood clots – turmeric, garlic, vitamin E, cardamom, cloves, onions.

Healing foods – celery, blueberries, papaya, coriander, spirulina, ginger, sprouted seeds, garlic, leafy greens, coconut water.

Natural cleaning products – avoid parabens, triclosan and phthalates. Make your own with baking soda, white vinegar, lemon juice and essential oils.

Natural beauty products – avoid parabens, triclosan and phthalates, SLS, SLES, synthetic fragrances.

Headaches – drink at least two litres of filtered water a day, check for food intolerances, try co enzyme Q10, magnesium, ginkgo biloba. Use yoga to release neck and shoulder tension.

Eczema – avoid phthalates, check dairy and gluten intolerances, vitamin D deficiency. Boost probiotics and prebiotics in diet.

Improve your eyesight – try eye strengthening exercises, supplement with lutein, eyebright and bilberry. Check for chronic neck tension.

Natural antibiotics – garlic, manuka honey, tea tree oil, turmeric, thyme, echinacea, virgin coconut oil.

Insomnia – good sleep routine, valerian, chamomile, calcium and vitamin D, bananas and yoga.

Epigenetics and your exposome – how your environment, diet, gut microbiome, hormone balance, exposure to toxins and stress levels affect your likelihood of disease more than genetics.

If you want to read the full articles/yoga videos, they are all available on my health blog on my website and I hope to continue to post more there – carolebaker.co.uk

The suggestions in this article are the personal opinion of the author. Please do not take any new remedies if you are currently on any medication without the consent of your GP.

Carole Baker is founder of The Self Centre, Bury St Edmunds

carolebaker.co.uk