The Need For Balance
Yesterday brought me a new client. A client who wanted a ‘detox’ treatment so had decided on a Repechage Seaweed Body Mask.
After the consultation, I discovered that her ‘IBS’ was actually Crohns Disease and she had been told that she may be a Celiac, but more tests needed to be done. As the ‘Camera down Throat’ did not fill her with joy, she hadn’t been tested. She had also not looked into alternative therapies, and most importantly had never looked at how her diet would affect it. She just thought she needed to ‘diet’ for weight issues, hence the detox treatment. Her over consumption of coffee and lack of water was the first thing to be addressed. She was actually surprised to hear that her caffeine intake may be irritating her bowel. More consultation, and I discovered that her consultant had offered NO dietary advice at all. Just medication.
This saddens me. Very much. I am not a medical professional. I do not have a degree in nutrition, but as part of my three year training, Nutrition featured as a large part of the course. I also suffered with eczema quite badly in my early 20’s, which lead me to develop more of an interest in how diet can affect the skin and digestion. I had the old fashioned allergy testing at the local hospital, with dairy and colours being the most sensitizing. This was before supermarkets stocked Soya milk and dairy free products, so cooking decent food was a challenge, but workable, as cooking was a passion of mine. I did however, crave chocolate when hormones were raging, so instead of being ‘naughty’ I used to binge on white french stick and jam instead of the dairy items…. This lead to IBS….. having no idea what this was (this was the late 80’s) I sought advice from a herbalist, as all the GP offered was FyboGel! I learnt many things….I learnt about brewing Tea correctly so you are not drinking acid. I learnt about food combining which was very popular in those days and really helped me. There are always new fads, new information, new discoveries. We are always learning. Some diet plans work for many, not for others.
Those of you who follow me on twitter will know I am a great Juicer, but a 7 day detox juicing plan is not for me. Jason Vale – The ‘Juice Master’ is an inspiration. I am still dairy sensitive, but can now tolerate a little Parmesan on a meal, but I would not be able to drink milk…I just can’t ‘take’ it any more, (although hot chocolate made with almond or coconut milk works for me!) Raw tomatoes make my nose blotchy, so does alcohol. Too much bread upsets my insides, but I can tolerate spelt flour. I know my body. Many people don’t. they just throw food into their body not knowing what it does…. the recent ‘Horse Meat Debacle’ has made many people rethink their food intake, by looking at the providence of their food, and thankfully the great TV chefs are doing a great job too! Good Old Delia Smith is launching a Learn to cook School on line at the end of the month. It’s never too late! Back to my client….Because she had been told by the hospital that she ‘Had Crohns’ and there was no ‘cure’ she had stopped there. She was taking her medication, but hadn’t looked further. She was delighted to find a new super silky smooth skin after her treatment and was off to buy a book on the ‘Alkali Diet’ which may help her digestion. Supplements of omega 3 and 6 from IIAA were an option, and she was going to cut down on the coffee and up the water. Now that’s not difficult is it? It won’t cure her, but it will make digestion a great deal easier. I am also going to suggest that she contacts Lucy Jones from Myrobalnce Clinic in Dorset who is an amazing Tibetan Herbalist, as the herbalist I saw all those years ago has long gone. There is a place for orthodox medicine, and I would never suggest a client alters her doses or changes anything without Doctors advice, but I do think that diet plays a huge part in illness these days. Education is key and hopefully one day the Doctors will see this.
The BALANCE of holistic therapies and orthodox medicine needs to be realised.
