We want to talk about Sugar!

Sugar is a popular health topic at the moment. There has been a lot of media coverage in the past year about this common part of our diet with many claiming that sugar is 'toxic' and even 'poison'.

Do you know why? How much sugar are you consuming? Is it really harming your health?

For many of us it's difficult to measure and therefore impossible to know what health complications it may be causing us. We want to break it down for you, keep things simple so that you can make the best choices for yourself and for your family.


The fact is our bodies are not designed to digest or metabolise refined sugar. The problem is refined sugar is everywhere, often hidden in foods which are labelled or marketed as 'healthy', ' low fat' or 'natural'.

You might be asking 'what about naturally occurring sugars such as fruit, honey, maple syrup or agave syrup'. These sugars are acceptable in very small amounts (1 to 2 teaspoons max daily) however consuming such a small amount is very difficult. With the exception of fresh fruit at 1 to 2 serves per day and perhaps a teaspoon of honey if you are unwell these sugars should also be avoided.

Chiropractor's perspective - Dr Tom Dawson

Sugar it seems is nearly in everything, added to foods sometimes in big quantities, but why is it bad?  Well here is the great news, Sugar is NOT BAD for you!  In fact the body breaks down a lot of our foods, the ones we call CARBOHYDRATES into sugar because it is so important to how much energy you have and how well your BRAIN works.  Did you know that your brain actually runs exclusively on SUGAR?  If our sugar levels in our blood get too low we cant think or even function properly.  So eat as much sugar as you like right…..

WRONG

Here is the problem: unless we actually USE that sugar for energy and for brain power it has a BAD effect on the body. In Australia and most of the western world our diets are extremely HIGH IN SUGAR and we are NOT USING this energy that the body has to do something with all the excess.  It stores this excess as FAT, bad fat that hangs around your middle and your organs that lead to choking your blood vessels and increasing your blood pressure and INCREASING YOUR RISK OF diseases like CANCER, DIABETES and HEART DISEASE. Sugar also STIMULATES BRAIN ACTIVITY and can be a factor in children with problems like ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER.

Our Nutritionist and Naturopath Sarah-Jane Purnell will explain how all this happens and what YOU can do to AVOID EXCESS SUGAR in your diets. Like most things, a little is OK, too much is VERY BAD FOR YOU.
 
 

 Myotherapist's perspective - Clare Sullivan

How does sugar affect your muscular system?

It is amazing how often my clients with chronic pain, energy and immune issues often have digestive troubles and diets that may seem “healthy” but can be full of sugar. I’m so fortunate to work alongside naturopath and nutritionist Sarah-Jane Purnell, who is an expert in this field- I have referred many of my clients to her, with wonderful results.

As far as the muscular and skeletal systems are concerned..

Refined sugar contains no fibre, no minerals, no proteins, no fats, and no enzymes. It is an “empty” form of energy. Refined sugar is quickly digested and passes into the blood stream giving us what is commonly known as a ‘sugar high’.  The pH of our blood changes when this occurs making it more acidic. Our bodies don’t like being acidic so they will use minerals such as calcium and magnesium to help buffer our blood.Calcium is leached from our bones and magnesium from our bones and muscles. This is not good as calcium is a critical mineral for bone strength and magnesium is a vital mineral for many of our metabolic processes, including muscle contraction. Magnesium depletion leads to side effects such as muscle tension, nervous tension, and muscle cramps.

So…when you eat sugar, your body borrows precious nutrients that are essential for your body to function at its best.  B-vitamins are another group of nutrients that are used to metabolise refined sugar. B-vitamins are essential for energy production in the cell and to support proper nervous system functioning.

 

Refined sugar stimulates your sympathetic nervous system, which results in muscular tension. Sugar can lead to increased body weight, which places unnecessary strain on your muscular and skeletal systems.

Refined sugar decreases your immunity, making the healing process after musculoskeletal injuries more difficult.  The sugar blocks vitamin C which is important for wound healing and it also lowers white blood cell count if consumed in excess.

If you would like to organise a consultation for dietary support, Sarah-Jane can be contacted through our front desk on 9882 7135.   There are also so many fantastic health resources on the web (too many to name).  Sarah Wilson and Jessica Ainscough’s websites are two of my favourites - Clare

 

Kinesiologist's perspective - Gae O'Neil Donnellon

 

A challenge for parents today is to support our children to live happily with a generous uptake of nutrients and a balanced relationship with food. With the alarming rise of Type II diabetes and other childhood health concerns, is it time for us to tune in and recognize a poor diet that needs to be rectified, a child who needs support with a sugar addiction and how saying ‘no’ to junk food can sometimes be a great act of love?

 

We are all bombarded with advertising. Products offering us the sugar hit and processed “energy boosts” that create a need for the treat.

 

Sugar addiction often comes from a deep seated emotional need, that of comfort and reinforcement of good behavior as children, leading to poor dietary habits as adults.

 

Poor health statistics in the adult population speak for themselves.

 

Kinesiology can help you make changes in your life, enhancing wellbeing and personal empowerment.

 

Your body is the best home you will ever live in

Look after it!

 

 

Nutritionist and Naturopath's perspective - Sarah-Jane Purnell

 

So hopefully if you have read to this stage you are getting the idea about why sugar is not that great for us. In my opinion reducing or eliminating sugar from the diet is one of the best choices you will ever make for your health and my role is to support and make the transition to a low sugar or sugar 'free' diet as easy as possible.

 

As humans we are designed to be attracted to foods that are calorie dense. These foods are easily converted into body fat and therefore we were able to survive if food was scarce for a period of time. It is one reason why sugar is so attractive to us. It makes us feel good by enhancing neurotransmitter function, our blood sugar rise gives us a 'buzz' and that sweet taste makes us come back for more and more.. How cruel then that this pleasurable eating experience is actually doing us harm. Today sugar is everywhere and most clients that I see are actually dependant on sugar without actually being aware they are consuming it. Sweet yoghurts, sauces, dressings, cereals, breads, spreads... the list goes on.

 

As Tom mentions sugar leads to weight gain and a major part of my weight management care approach involves getting clients off the hidden sugars. As Clare mentions sugar has a range of negative impacts on the muscloskeletal system not to mention the immune and digestive systems. Other health conditions I often see affected by a high sugar diet include:

 

* High cholesterol/high triglycerides

* Heart disease

* Diabetes

* Polycystic ovarian syndrome

* Auto-immune conditions

* Allergies

* Arthritis

* Depression/anxiety/ mental disorders

* Acne and other inflammatory skin conditions

* Candida & yeast infections

* Behavioural and learning difficulties in children

* Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)

* Cancer

* Alzheimers and dementia

* Premature ageing - wrinkles, loss of skin elasticity

 

Yes, that is a long list! And while sugar may not be a primary cause to these conditions (however in many it may be) it certainly will aggravate and worsen both symptoms and restoration to health.

 

Taking the next step:

 

As Gae mentioned there is often a significant emotional connection not to mention a physical addiction to sugar so making up your mind to 'quit' may not be as easy as you think. My advice is to firstly get your diet analysed. All of my clients will know one of the first things we do in a consultation is talk through your typical diet. Honesty is key here and I will insist that a food diary be completed with absolute accuracy. A client mentioned to me last week ' Had you asked me if I ate much sugar I would have definitely answered no however after completing a food diary I now realise how much sugar I was sneaking into my day without even thinking about it'.

 

Next I offer solutions and there are many depending on your situation. There are herbs available that block the taste of sugar on your tongue making a piece of chocolate taste like butter. There are nutrients that support a more stable blood sugar level and can control cravings. There are dietary choices that reduce your appetite for sugar and eventually have you genuinely not enjoying the stuff.

 

My personal advice is to get support and find out the best way for you. Hold yourself accountable and acknowledge that the process while not easy is going to leave you feeling fantastic. The most common reports from clients that commit to reducing sugar is 'incredible energy, i'm never hungry, glowing skin, less pain and all other food tastes better'.

 

If you'd like any more information then please send me an email at health@sarahjanepurnell.com.au

I'd love to help you find an even healthier you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!

Message from Dr Tom Dawson:

It's our final newsletter for the year and we wanted to wish you all well for the holiday season and ask that you take care of yourselves during your holidays if you are lucky enough to be getting away. We urge you to remember that your health care is important during your holidays as well, watching what you are eating and drinking to make sure you come back from your break in good shape is as important as enjoying your break. Keep up your exercises if you have a regime also, these times are great for relaxing but just as good for enjoying that extra walk and getting some fresh air and exercise.  All too often I see people come back from their holidays and it takes a few months for them to get back to the pre-Xmas weight and fitness level, enjoy yourselves but just be careful too please!!

Wellness Lifestyle Programs

This year we have released our Wellness Lifestyle Programs, these programs are designed to improve the outcomes we expect from our regular chiropractic clients by combining a full nutritional analysis and progressive exercise program that takes into account the individual needs of every person. Its an optional extra we include for the Initial Consultation and the practice nutritionist Sarah Jane Purnell will greet every new patient with a smile and measure the major factors that influence that person's metabolism and identify issues such as obesity and the effects of a sedentary lifestyle, when you combine this with the benefits of a full Chiropractic analysis we get a great snapshot of your health and we can make confident recommendations to help you improve the areas most important to YOU. 

Ask Deanna or Nat about the Wellness Lifestyle Programs, have a look at the programs and what they involve in this newsletter and if you feel you would like to get involved with this type of care and enjoy the savings it brings from combining the professionals care, let us know and we can take you through it.  Sarah-Jane is currently offering a review for my existing patients where she will do all the metabolic analysis and basic interpretation for $50, its a steal and could really help you with achieving some of your health goals. The appointment take about 15 minutes.

Take a minute to go over our Wellbeing Lifestyle Programs and if you have any questions on how this may help you achieve your health goals in a measureable, affordable, multi-disciplianarian approach to your care, talk to me at your next appointment or call me on 98827135 or my mobile after hours on 0425770465. I'm always happy to help.

Merry Xmas to you and your family,
Tom Dawson DC

Healing vs Curing

 

Chiropractor's perspective:

By Dr Tom Dawson

This month’s topic is healing vs curing and the role of Chiropractic in the healing process. Chiropractic is not a healing art, in fact really nothing is. A good mentor of mine was a famous Chiropractor from the USA named Reggie Gold, he said the only thing humans have ever cured was bacon (cured meat). It was his way of saying, we heal ourselves, sometimes we need a bit of help, sometimes we need a lot of help, like in a traumatic situation like a car accident, and we may even need rehabilitation for some time, but the fact remains that it is US that does the healing, no-one else.

Taking responsibility for your own healing process can be difficult when you may firstly, not know what to do, and secondly who to see to do it. Traditional Medicine often gives us the impression that its the PILL or the DRUG that does the healing, but they can only help, the long term health and wellbeing of the organism (in this case its YOU) is reliant upon its own recuperative and regenerative powers. Taking the first step in a healing process by visting a Chiropractor can be a very good first step as we have always had the Philososphy that health comes from "Above Down, Inside Out", that is that the Nervous system that directs regeneration of the cells of the body on a continual basis is the Above part, and sends its messages down the spine and directs the body to produce the new proteins that build new cells and tissues that make up a healthy body.

We develop brand new cells all the time, our skeleton, that is all the cells that make up our bones, regenerates itself about every 6 years, all our muscles take roughly the same period of time so we have this continual turnover happening. How healthy and vibrant and FUNCTIONAL those cells become, depends very much on the lifestyles we lead, our genetics are set, they cant be manipulated, all you can do is affect the way we EXPRESS our health and our healing and regeneration.

 A great example of poor regeneration is Osteo-arthritis, unlike some arthritis, it involves generating new bone tissue, generated by the body in a 'supportive role', that is, when we have uneven weight bearing on a joint, over time bone develops where it wouldn't normally be and we have a degenerated joint surface. Most recent research shows this occurs in only 13 days after a joint stops working properly. When a Chiropractic adjustment restores correct motion to the joint, this process can return to normal and the healing process can occur.

Another reason a Chiropractor is a great first choice is we have a broad range of knowledge and can recognize when you need the help of another practitioner to heal properly. Remember, healing takes time but it is a natural process and no-one else can do it for you, we can only help.

 

 

 

Myotherapist's perspective:

 

By Clare Sullivan

 

Myotherapists don’t heal or cure muscular conditions.  We simply take actions to stimulate your body’s own healing process, so that you can heal yourself.

I am always driving the point home to my clients that if you are sore for a day or two after a myotherapy session, it is because I have purposefully disrupted and then re-aligned any dysfunctional muscle cells, so that your body can kick in its own healing response.

Your body is the one that does the healing, not me. 

During a Myotherapy session, we often break apart trigger points or “knots” that can be found in tense muscles. 

This helps in two main ways:

1. After knotty tissues are broken apart and smooth alignment is encouraged by the Myotherapist, your body can heal with the cells in this improved condition. Breaking apart shortened, tangled and knotty tissues is a good thing- lengthening and re-aligning these tissues can reduce pain and restore your freedom of movement. 

 Breaking apart muscle cells that are already dysfunctional and knotted will immediately prompt an immune response: cells such as lymphocytes, monocytes and other healing cells will rush to the area to do their work.

In most cases, this process lasts for a day or two.  This is why you can be sore for a day or two after a myotherapy session- the healing is still happening.  Once this process is complete, the healthy integrity of your muscle cells is on its way to being restored, and the pain is reduced or gone. 

 

 

Trigger points lying among muscle cells that are healthy, relaxed and aligned.

2. Toxic chemicals that accumulate in tense muscles and injury sites will be removed.

When muscle cells are knotty and contracted, blood supply to the area is reduced. There is an accumulation of chemicals or toxins present, including pain-causing and inflammatory chemicals, such as substance p (present with painful conditions), bradykinins, interluekins and prostaglandins. 

Increasing blood supply to the area through massage, and relaxing the tissues so that blood vessels will no longer be constricted after the massage, means that toxic chemicals can be removed, reducing pain and improving the health of the muscle cells.

After the healing process is complete, the healthy integrity of your muscles is on its way to being restored.

As for “curing” - often once the body heals itself of a particular condition, the condition will not return.  However, many of the most common health and muscular complaints are related to our day-to-day lives and lifestyles.  For this reason, we encourage our clients to look after themselves with maintenance style care - this keeps everything feeling good, working at its best, and prevents any future injuries or illnesses from developing.

 

 

 

Kinesiologist's Perspective:

 

By Gae O'Neil Donnellon

Kinesiology helps your body to Heal Yourself.

As a Kinesiologist, I do not claim to heal anyone! What I do is work with my clients using a muscle testing feedback system to identify blockages and imbalances in the body that prevent optimum health and well-being.

Our bodies have an innate healing intelligence. We are constantly healing ourselves and balancing ourselves energetically, to function at our best potential.

We thrive when our natural healing mechanism works smoothly, however stress in many forms disrupts our healing ability. These stresses can be emotional, dietary, physical and environmental factors. Often we are unaware that we are not functioning as well as we are able until symptoms occur.

In a Kinesiology session I work as a detective finding what is out of balance, the effect it has on you, and work with an enormous “toolbox” including Acupressure, Flower essences, Aromatherapy, Neuro Lymphatic points, Neuro Vascular points, Neuro Emotional points and Counselling to get you back into balance in order for your body to be able to heal and function optimally.

All sessions start with the client having a goal, as a Kinesiologist I work with you to address the blockages in order for you to heal yourself. Helping you achieve your best potential and innate healing power.

Working as a team at Wellbeing Hawthorn we have a wealth of knowledge and expertise to help our clients achieve optimum health and well being at all levels.

 

For more information about Kinesiology pick up a brochure on your next visit.

 

Naturopath's perspective:

 

By Sarah-Jane Purnell

 

As the final contributor to this blog I will keep things brief as the idea of Healing vs Curing has already been so well explained.

 

Naturopathy is a system of healing founded on the philosophy that the body has the ability to heal itself, if given the right support. A Naturopath encourages this innate healing ability with the application of diet modification, lifestyle changes, herbal medicine, nutritional supplements, homeopathy and flower essences. Some people may only need simple prescriptions such as drinking more water or getting more exercise and others will require a more comprehensive treatment approach.

 

The key is to consider how you approach your health. Are you satisfied with a band-aid approach? You have already walked through our door to visit one of our practitioners which makes me assume your answer is no. My goal as a Naturopathic practitioner is to firstly alleviate symptoms and seconly discover the underlying cause of your ill-health so that you may take action to correct imbalances or deficiencies. Lastly I will strive to take your health to the next level so that you live your life feeling the best you possibly can. That is true welbeing - don't settle for anything less!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Theme of the Month - Detoxification

 

Chiropractor's perspective:

You've probably heard in the media that detoxification programs exist to help the body to cleanse itself of some of the accumulation of waste that occurs over the course of our lives. You might wonder why is this an effective tool to make us healthier? Our bodies have a natural cleansing mechanism that operates constantly to keep our internal systems working properly, just like digestion, we dont have to think about this as it’s an innate or natural intelligent response to our environment. The pollutants we come into contact with on a daily basis in an industrialized society are :



Areas with higher levels of air pollution have been associated with increase heart attacks

Air pollution

Food Additives

Cosmetic chemicals - found in personal care products

Fungus and parasites

Asbestos

Heavy metals

Medications

Water pollution

Food hormones and pesticide

      The problem with toxicity (an overburden on the cleansing systems of the body, namely the liver, kidneys and intestines ) is that the levels of these are beyond what we are genetically able to handle, so we get a build up, just like a clogged filter. As the body needs a lot of energy to clear these wastes we get tired more easily when this toxic burden is high in our body and energy is taken away from other vital functions like our immune systems making us more susceptible to illness, exspcially chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.

 

      Unless your environment and diet is completely free of these pollutants there is a good chance you are being overexposed and could benefit from a detoxification program. Just like changing the filter on your vacumn cleaner, it means your system works in a more efficient way and you have more energy to perform the other vital functions so important to building and maintaining a healthy body.

 

     Those with frequent headaches, skin sensitivity, fatigue, joint pain, menstrual pain, and some chronic illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes are those probably in greater need of detoxification.

 

      A Bio -Impedance Analysis (BIA) measures body fluid and other factors relevant to your health and is a tool which can also be used to assess need for detoxification. Our resident nutritionist Sarah-Jane Purnell can perform these tests for you and give you a full report. This can also be an objective measure of the success of your cleanse so we recommend monitoring by a professional, especially if doing this for the first time.

 

      The goal of cleansing is to improve cellular function with the goal of reducing chronic illness. To learn more or start your Detox Program you can organise an appointment with Sarah-Jane at the front desk and Deanna or Nat will be happy to help you.

 

 

      Myotherapist's perspective:

 

Great news! Did you know that Myotherapy can aid detoxification?
 

 

      Unwind Myotherapy offers two types of treatment which are helpful in aiding detoxification: 

 

       Myotherapy and Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage. 
 

What is the lymphatic system?


The lymphatic system is one of our body’s major systems. It is the front line in our body’s ability to fight disease and infection, and remove toxins. We have twice as much lymphatic fluid in our body as we do blood. Lymphatic fluid contains immune cells, which circulate around the body, mopping up toxins and transporting them to the lymph nodes (or “glands”). It is in the glands where these toxins are broken down, and the lymph fluid is filtered so it can continue to circulate around the body and collect more toxins.

      A healthy lymphatic system is vital for immunity.
 

How do Myotherapy and Manual Lymphatic Drainage help detoxification?


Our bodies are designed to remove chemical toxins and waste through various organs and processes involving the circulatory and lymphatic systems. Your environment, diet and elevated stress levels, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, can hinder your body’s detoxification process. Massage therapy can help stimulate your circulation and tone organs to promote chemical detoxification.

When your circulation is operating at its optimal level, oxygenated blood nourishes your internal organs more effectively. This allows them to efficiently participate in the detoxification process. 

Toxins also accumulate in muscle cells that are tense or injured. The fresh blood that is flushed through the muscle cells during a massage really helps to get these toxins moving again, so that our bodies can dispose of them. 

 

       This is why we are always telling our clients to make sure that they drink plenty of water after a massage- to help our bodies to eliminate these toxins more quickly!

 

 

      Kinesiologist's perspective:

 

A number of factors may lead to toxic accumulation and/or reduction in the body’s ability to effectively detoxify these substances.  The cumulative load, termed the “body burden” may be an underlying contributor to a number of illnesses and conditions such as hormone imbalances, impaired immune system, allergies, nutrient deficiencies and inefficient metabolism. The detoxification process promotes the elimination of toxins and helps your body to achieve optimal performance and wellbeing.

What are the possible symptoms when you have toxins in your body?

Headache, fatigue, skin erruptions, poor immunity, unexplained joint or muscular pain, bad breath, bloating, constipation, body odour, anxiety and/or depression are all related to high toxin levels in the body.

KINESIOLOGY helps find which toxins are causing issues in your body and how they are affecting the biochemical balance. By balancing the body in order to enhance innate healing, and a specialized detox program, your body can cleanse and revitalize, promoting optimum health, and abundant energy.

Naturopath's Perspective:

Now we know why it is so important to detox so the next question has to be how to do it.

At Wellbeing Hawthorn we recommend the Metagenics Integrated Detoxification program. This is a 6 week step-by-step program that cleanses and enhances all areas of detoxification including the digestive system, kidneys, liver, skin and lungs. As a practitioner I believe that a detoxification program should be comprehensive and allow our body time to properly cleanse and rejuvinate.

The Integrated Detoxification Program works by:

• Removing toxin exposure through dietary and lifestyle changes;


• Removing bad bacteria and waste from your digestive system;


• Renewing your digestive lining and the healthy bacteria to improve your digestive function; and


• Releasing your body's toxins so they can be eliminated.

The Integrated Detoxification Program involves:

· An hour long initial consultation and 3 x fortnightly follow up appointments

· Safe& highly effective supplements that support that body’s natural detoxification pathways

· A program booklet containing information on dietary requirements, lifestyle modifications, sample menu and tips for success

· Urinary Indican testing, Bio-Impedance Analysis and Zinc tally assessment.

· Full support & professional guidance with ongoing health recommendations

Please speak to Deanna or Nat at reception to book an appointment to begin your Detoxification Program this Spring!