Three Herbs for Fighting Bugs & First Aid: The Science Behind Olive Leaf, Rooibos & Lavender.
Olive leaf: (Olea Europa, Oleaceae Family) is such an effective herb, high in antioxidants it can disable almost any bug rapidly as well as offer long term assistance for chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and heart disease. Olive leaf has been used for centuries and is effective in treating bacteria, protozoa, retro viruses and viruses. It has the ability to stop replication of viruses through preventing virus assembly and viral budding. It can also penetrate infected cells and halt viral production there. That makes this one handy in fighting COVID.

Olive leaf is also beneficial against treating herpesvirus infection and yeast/candida infections.

Olive leaf use was shown to shorten upper respiratory tract infections in young athletes to name but a few of its advantageous results.
Always drink a lot of water when taking it, as it can have a detoxing effect and always check with your health professional or myself, for correct dosages.
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5…

Rooibos Tea: (Aspalathus linearis)
“Tea is one of the most complex food stuffs we regularly ingest” wise words from Professor Lindsay Brown, particularly the Green variety. And Rooibos is no exception.
It’s caffeine free, contains more than 37 antioxidants, Vitamin C, minerals and more.

The tea has long been used traditionally, but only in the last few years has its effects been investigated scientifically. It is an anti-viral, anti-allergy agent, very useful on colds and flu’s, for sore throats, candida as well as in allergic reactions, possibly disrupting histamine production.

The tea is handy for children or people suffering with asthma, sinusitis, and food allergies.
It is said that Rooibos tea is also helpful for restless young or old people before bed and that’s just the tip of the ice berg.
Always check with your health professional or myself for correct dosages.
http://etd.cput.ac.za/handle/20.500.11838/2236

Lavender; (L. angustifolia)
Lavender is a great essential oil to have at home. It’s a natural anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, it can help with the common colds, flu’s, headaches, abrasions, burns, insect bites and stress, sleep issues and anxiety. If you’re sick, have a headache or chest infection, doing an inhalation with 2-3 drops of pure essential oil (L. angustifolia) has been found to kill off the bugs there, and also ease pain and constriction of the area.

Scientific examination has found that lavender was effective against anti-biotic resistant golden Staph, MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and VRE (vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis) at concentrations less than 1% (Nelson, 1997a).

It was also found that those that smelled the oil and had a 5–10-minute massage with it before bed, had less insomnia or sleeping difficulties.

Tip: when buying essential oils, make sure they’re good quality and not the cheaper synthetic replicas.

Thyme essential oil is amazing for inhalation or gargles for severe to sore throats or chest infections. Thyme oil is a wounder oil, never to be swallowed, and children should check for dosages, but it is a very effective at killing bugs.

http://naturalingredient.org/…/Biological-Activities-of… https://www.sciencedirect.com/…/pii/S0944711319303411 Kills bugs- https://saveourbones.com/forget-the-flu-shot-4-essential…/

So, earlier this week, I awoke in the middle of the night with a sore throat and instantly knew I had COVID. ‘Damn it!’ I thought, as it felt like a stranger had opened a door and walked right on in. So, I spent the next remaining hours awake, planning my next day; 1) wake up, 2) feed kids, 3) make huge amount of soup, and 4) then crash for the week.
I hadn’t been sick in years and could tell it was going to hit me like a ton of bricks.
And it did.

I was not surprised, when a few hours later I tested positive for COVID.

I’m assuming it was Omicron and I gotta say, It’s an interesting virus. A flu like many others you’ve probably had before, but I found it very specific, very targeted, going clearly from one symptom to the next, not vaguely sifting through simultaneous symptoms like most colds and flu’s do that give you a vague impression of everything all at once- aches, headache, sore throat, fever. No, this swept through me like a train rattling my bones.

But five days later, I’m all better and symptom free! Which I thought was pretty good.

So, here’s a few of my health tips, in case it ever helps you.

1) I made a big stew that was packed full of garlic, herbs, mung beans, olive oil, veggies, stock some meat (I didn’t eat the meat myself, but it flavoured the stew, and kept my family from needing to cook much), as soon as I knew I was getting sick. I’m really glad I did, because this soup became invaluable to me and my family through the week. I’ll post the recipe next.

2) I drank water and lots of Nerada organic Lemon and Ginger tea-, which soothed my throat.

3) At day 2-3 the sore throat hurt significantly, and more at night. So, I used a gargle with warm salty water and a drop of thyme essential oil, which did the trick and then used medicinal, anaesthetic lozenges if I needed them.

Thyme is a highly undervalued and incredible herb and while the essential oil should never be ingested, it is a vastly powerful anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-septic externally, including as a mouthwash and gargle, or as an inhalation. It’s great for upper respiratory infections of any kind. It’s great for sore throats of any kind, particularly the COVID one, but also works on tonsilitis, and treats and protects against chest infections, killing the bugs while shaking up any rigid mucous in stubborn coughs, helping it to be expelled if used in an inhalation. You’d use a much smaller dose on a child, checking with either myself or your health practitioner on correct dosing would be good.

4) The other factor that helped me was avoiding dairy. Yep, dairy of any kind. Dairy is infamous for building more mucus. And what often lives in mucus? Microbes, either viral or bacterial. So having less or zero mucus, is ideal in colds and flu situations, particularly if you don’t want them going to your chest.

5) I also ate little to no meat for the week. As I’ve spoken about previously on COVID studies, they’ve found high iron in the body, such as from meat, is used by viruses, (including COVID), to replicate more of itself. Iron is like an ink to the virus. So, less meat =less virus. I had the stew, but not the meat.

6) Good sleep helps, as this is when you heal and recoup. And I slept a lot. I’m not normally one for pain killers, but I did take aspro clear after eating a meal when I needed them. That helped. But you’d have to gauge that with your health practitioner or myself if you’re unsure.
7) To shorten the duration, and help my recovery, I also started taking Vitamin C 2-3 times a day in a powdered high strength form, this helped lessen the fatigue, and is proven to shorten the duration of viruses.

8) And by day 5- I was all better and symptom free.

It goes without saying, that being generally healthy is the best place to be coming from with this one, and I believe for the future, for many reasons. This won’t be the last virus we face, and while I found it intense and I wouldn’t mess around with it, it wasn’t severe. To be honest, it was actually really nice to have the week in bed. I needed it. But I also know I’m lucky, privileged to be living in Australia, healthy and not facing Delta or Alpha anymore.

But it made me realise something. We’ve been so hyped up about catching viruses we’ve forgotten something. Maybe we shouldn’t be anxious about getting sick? Because guess what? We actually need a good, strong virus to fight every year or two, to make us strong. It’s like a cleanse, killing off and sloughing out old cells, to make new ones, while giving us a complete rest we probably never give ourselves. And all the while exercising our immune system, which likes a work out every now and then.

So live healthy where and when you can. And if you get COVID Rest, Rest Rest. Take the time. Don’t try and do too much too soon. Give it and yourself some respect, and contact me if you need more COVID/health related consultation.

Years ago, when attending our first pregnancy classes as panicked first timers to the whole concept of babies and parenting, we were told something that’s stayed with me ever since.
“All you need to do is make your child feel safe and loved. The rest will follow.”

How true those words are.

Yet are we making time to do that?

It was once thought that trauma was restricted to the realm of post- traumatic stress syndrome, occurring predominantly in war veterans or severe abuse victims. But according to world renowned physician Gabor Mate’, childhood development and trauma expert, it’s not.

“Trauma is not what happens to you, it’s what happens inside you as a result of what happened to you” …creating “a scarring that makes you less flexible, more rigid, less feeling and more defended.” Gabor Mate’

Clinical psychologist Dr. Mataji Kennedy sees it every day in clinic, “Trauma is now understood to be broader than what we originally thought. There are more complex and subtle forms of trauma affecting people in everyday life that we’re only just starting to talk about. It could be growing up with an addict as a parent. It could be as indirect as neglect, or never being given the space or time to be heard or validated about real feelings, or in being groomed to be perfect, or if the child asks for their needs to be met, and the parent doesn’t or cannot meet these.

Basically, the message the child is getting is ‘Who they are, or what they want is NOT OK.’ And the trauma of these situations creates a disconnect with the body and mind. And that’s where problems begin.

Disconnect is a coping mechanism, a way for the person to avoid feeling something in that moment that’s either scary, painful, shameful or confusing. But in doing so, the person is disconnecting from their own instincts, their higher intelligence, being taught not to trust those or themselves anymore.

“I often see it in clients who supress themselves, who don’t speak up for themselves, doubt their choices, or present with panic attacks, heightened anxiety and general anxiety and who get overwhelmed.” Says Dr. Kennedy. They are often supressing or fighting against who they really are. How they really feel, and this creates a tension, an unbalanced problem, a tug of war between two opposite sides, a disconnect between what one really wants vs. what one has been told or thinks they should want.

Disconnect is additionally the space where addictions of all kinds can become a soothing, coping mechanism to this dichotomy of battles between our true nature vs. what we think we should be.
And interestingly, many clients with disconnect, also present with chronic illness later in life. “There’s always a question mark there.” Dr. Kennedy says of the association between the body presenting with illness and trauma induced disconnect from childhood.

So, according to these two bright minds Dr. Gabor Mate’ and Dr. Mataji Kennedy in the field of psychology and parenting, some tips they give on raising healthy kids would be to,

Make the time to get to know yourself & listen to your kids.
Listen and accept without a script, or a come-back, or a critique or suggestion. Just listen.
Let go of expectations. It’s OK to be messy, not perfect, they’ll find their way.
Be a guide they can trust in, not a crushing authoritarian forcing them to be someone they’re not.

“Because if we were all more connected as a global society, feeling alright to be who we really are, the world would be coming from a more insightful place.” Dr. Kennedy suggests.

So, if you’re not already, maybe try out the parenting stance of; “Hey, however and whoever you are, you’re absolutely OK.”

Because the truth of the matter is, they are!

And so are you.

Article done with Dr. Mataji Kennedy and wise words from Gabor Mate’

Make an appointment with Honor Tremain for any health or lifestyle advice 0409 961 269

With Dr. Mataji Kennedy- clinical psychologist, by Honor Tremain

Do you know yourself? Like really, truly know who you are? What makes you tic? What you love? What inspires you? What’s at your heart’s core? What all your true hidden talents and treasures are? What you really want? And are you allowed to be any of that? Do you let yourself?

What if I told you that not knowing yourself could be the starting point for both mental and physical illness?

Suicide and chronic disease are now the two biggest killers in ages of 15 and over.
Approx. 800 million people are now suffering with one form of mental illness. Approx. 4.4 million children between the ages of 3-17 years being diagnosed with anxiety. And 1.9 million being diagnosed with depressions.
Children as young as 12 are on anti-psychotics and anti-anxiety pills.

Something is clearly wrong. Could it be in our approach to life at the moment?

Before now, the most intelligent and enlightened scientists and sages encouraged us to look within and connect with ourselves in order to not just be happy and live well, but to understand the mysteries of the universe.

“To know thyself, is the beginning of Wisdom.” Socrates.
“Man (woman), know thyself. Then thou shalt know the Universe and God.” Pythagoras.
“Whoso knoweth himself, knows thy Lord.” Sufi saying.

Firstly, let’s look at why we don’t know ourselves anymore.

Today, it’s more normal NOT to know yourself because it’s celebrated as idealic by influential people like materialist poster-boy ex-president Donald Trump, who captures it perfectly when talking about looking within,

“I don’t like to analyse myself because I might not like what I see.”
And on contemplating the meaning of life. “No, I don’t want to think about it,” (Donald Trump, a 2014 audio interview with Michael D’Antonio)

While modern society supports the view further, it’s everywhere you look, on your phone, on ads, online, on TV, all showing us the supposed perfect life, the perfect family, what we’re meant to look like. Act like. Be like!

Many of us try, and in so doing, let go of who we really are, particularly if we’ve already been conditioned growing up to believe we don’t matter.
And so, we become driven, anxious, obsessed, workaholics, (sometimes alcoholics), in a desperate bid to achieve this pretend life we keep being shown we should want. And we begin to look for outside influences to tell us what and who we are.

So right now, human evolution is being dragged away from inner wisdom and towards materialism and vanity in our search for our identity through what’s exterior, how we look, what brand of clothes we wear, our money, our car, how many followers we have and what version of phone we’re using.
Essentially, we’re being conditioned to stop being us, and become fake, more like robots.
And all the while mental illness and chronic disease are skyrocketing.
I asked Noosa based Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Mataji Kennedy about this.

“Happiness, contentment and a happy life is about getting to know yourself. It’s foundational and vital to all.” Dr. Kennedy says, who sees multiple clients disconnected with who they are, and present with varying levels of anxiety, panic attacks and interestingly also chronic illnesses.

Dr Kennedy says that knowing yourself. Trusting yourself. Loving, cherishing and accepting yourself, and treating others with that same respect, are very helpful steps towards wellness on all levels.

“Get curious, listen and be kind, it’s ok if you don’t have all the answers. Let go of old ideas and assumptions that held you prisoner and look at life and your options not as black and white, but as an experimental, moving grey area of possibility, being ok to try new, different ways. And be a guide rail, not a severe control in yours and your child’s life where messy is ok. Life and people are dynamic and ever evolving, don’t try and change them or yourself. Just listen, observe and let yourself, and others, be.” Dr. Kennedy.

It seems like self-exploration, re-connection with your true self, and knowing who you really are, are at the very core of where health and happiness bloom from.
So, why not give it a go? Look within, find your perfectly imperfect yet beautiful and unique self. Let your true, glorious beauty shine through and guide you, even if it’s messy.
Listen to your heart and gut again.

And in these seemingly simple words of “Know thyself”, echoed from a by-gone era rich in wisdom, could it turn out to be the very keys to your health and happiness?

Next week, we’ll continue with Dr. Mataji Kennedy and look at complex trauma, mental and chronic illness and how this all stems from a disconnect with self. And what we can learn from it.

Contact www.beyondblue.org.au/ if you feel anxious or depressed, or myself, Nutritionist Honor Tremain on www.noosa-nutrition.com.au for nutrition, diet and lifestyle boosters for mental or chronic health support.

Reference: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/life-expectancy-death/deaths-in-australia/contents/leading-causes-of-death

When it comes to health and sustainability, what do we know?
Many people are choosing to opt for diets based on how they affect the planet, not just their own bodies. So let’s take a look at proteins to see if there are any obvious food culprits when it comes to environmental impact.

1) Beef:
Beef farming comes with one of the highest environmental impact rates out of all the food groups, with greenhouse gas emissions at 58% of the total emissions in Australia alone!
But emissions rates from beef are very dependent on the chosen feeding system.
Grazing beef farms in Australia and America have the veneer of being extremely environmentally friendly and healthy, particularly with the popularization of grass fed cattle.
The upside of grass fed is: they are not grain fed with soy or corn, these two grains requiring substantial water, fertilizers, GMO intervention, transport and processing. And are said to increase inflammatory markers within the body, when eaten.
Making pasture cattle appear the more environmentally sustainable option.
But on the other hand, according to The Australian National University who compared an organic beef farmer with a conventional feedlot, and it pains me to share it but it’s the truth: the organic grass fed beef produced more emissions than the grain-finished beef!
Grain fed are edging towards being considered marginally more environmentally sustainable than large grazing cattle farms, as less forest is cleared for the smaller feeding lots, they have strict environmental protection regulations which implement how they manage waste, run off and protect the water table.
But how do we feel ethically about the treatment of these animals in feeding lots? These are difficult decisions.

2) Eggs vs. Cheese
With cheese production producing a similar environmental impact as feedlot beef, and being worse for the environment than milk, cheese is the obvious environmental insult here.
If we look purely at the water usage comparison that goes into the production of cheese to eggs, cheese uses a staggering amount more. Water is needed not only for the cattle, but also for irrigating their pastures, or for the production of their grain feed- both being substantial.
It is said one pound of cheese takes around 600 gallons of water. Therefore, 2 slices of cheese uses about 100 gallons of water!

3) Lamb vs. Chicken
According to Professor Andy LeBrocque from the University of Southern Queensland in Australia, chicken is the most environmentally sustainable
out of all livestock for a number of reasons; they are smaller animals, they require less space than their larger counterparts, require less water and are lighter to transport.
Lamb is considered the second most environmentally impactful livestock after beef. It produces more gas emissions, more water is used and there’s more land clearance.
Although in a twist, caged chickens produce more pollutants to the land and water than do lamb.
So free-range chicken is the clear winner here.

4) Whole Dairy Milk vs. Alternative Milks
Producing whole raw milk impacts the environment in a big way!
According to the U.N’s Food and Agricultural reports, this industry makes up 4% of all human caused greenhouse gas emissions, and produces 13kg of CO2 per month.
From the production of feed for cows, to the processing of the milk, the refrigerated transport required and the varying packaging materials, it’s a big environmental cost.
In general, dairy free milks require large amounts of processing too, but appear to be more sustainable.
The ingredients may travel further than that for dairy milk, but for instance: coconut milk uses less water, energy, and land and produces fewer emissions than soy, rice or almond milk.
Soy and rice milk require a lot of land clearing, while almond milk requires a lot of water.
The winner would be coconut milk in this comparison of milks.

5) Lentils vs. Tofu
Legumes are considered one of the most sustainable crops to grow, as they produce very little emissions, do not require much water in comparison to other crops, and most legume growth actually fixes nitrogen in the soil, so they don’t require nitrogen based fertilizers, making them more sustainable and easier to grow organically.
On the other hand soy production has a big impact of environmental sustainability, where a lot of land is generally cleared to grow soy, and unless it’s organic, massive amounts of fertilizer and herbicides are used.
In the processing of soy to tofu, more emissions are released, there’s more water and energy used, so lentils are the clear winner here…

4) Pork vs. Bacon
When it comes to a product affecting environmental biodiversity, pork exerts a relatively low pressure compared with beef or lamb.
Pork comes from controlled indoor or outdoor farms and feeding systems, although they do produce moderate to high chemical pollution if they come from indoor farms.
Both pork and bacon production require large volumes of water and energy, although bacon requires further processing and smoking than does pork, so bacon is the environmental villain in this debate.

So this gives you some extra tools to use in choosing your food from an environmental standpoint, not just for health but also for the health of your planet and your children’s planet.