Hello beautiful people!
Today I wanted to pop in and give you a bit of an update on my general health.
Headaches/Chronic Neck Pain.Things with my headaches/chronic neck pain are they best they have ever been since it first started in my early twenties. I really do recommend that people with chronic problems visit Rafael at Ramses Health in Amsterdam. Rafael is extremely caring but also a little bit crazy but I love that about him. I can promise you that the short term price is worth the long-term improvements.
Body brushing and Oil Pulling. To be honest these have fallen by the way-side. When I fell into my slump over summer I was struggling to get out of bed in the morning let alone feeling energetic enough to do menial tasks. I am hoping to re-introduce these over the coming weeks. I have been doing some research on performing these daily rituals in the evening instead of the mornings. I haven't found anything compelling to indicate that there are no benefits to doing them at this time, so I figure doing them then is better than not doing them at all, right?
Warm Lemon Water and Apple Cider Vinegar. So this brings me to the main issue I want to discuss. My stomach.
My bloody stomach! (and, yes Dad, bloody was necessary in this sentence! :-) )
A few months back I was slowly trying to wean myself off my PPI (stomach acid blockers) medication. I have been taking this medication since I was in my early twenties (do you see a pattern emerging here?). Some of you may remember that I've also mentioned that I came off the Nuva-Ring (birth control/hormone control) back in June. Around the same time I was trying to come off all medication so that my body was in the most natural state it could be in an attempt to heal naturally.
Everything seemed to all go wrong. I fell into my slump (which mind you had already started before I came off the nuva-ring, but I'm guessing this didn't help), my reflux came back with a vengeance (I couldn't hack drinking the lemon and ACV mix), my weight sky-rocketed, my skin went mental, my hirsutism worsened (result of PCOS and no longer on nuva-ring) a big giant, feeling sorry for myself *sigh*
So what steps am I taking?
PCOS and hormones. I am a big fan of Nat Kringoudis so I purchased her Debunking PCOS E-Course. Let's be straight here - 90% of what Nat discusses was not new for me. I've known I've had PCOS since I was 17 years old. For me this was more about how the information was delivered and what steps I can take from a more holistic point of view rather than a straight "not-always right" medical perspective. For those who have only recently discovered they have PCOS or just want to understand their hormones better for healthier body, mind and spirit (and or wanting to get pregnant in the not too distant future and want your body to be baby ready) then I highly recommend this for you.
One of the biggest things all my internet research, over the past 12-18 months, comes back to is gut health. Nat cannot express enough how much gut health influences our hormones. Just another reason for me to look further in it.
My "bloody" stomach (Hiatus Hernia and reflux). First port of call was getting the right medication. Out of nowhere the medication I had relied on for over 12 years was no longer working. I'm not sure if this is because the recipe over here in Europe differs slightly to Australian standards or that with this new vengeance my body needed something else. Either way I am now taking a slightly different drug (unfortunately more expensive but available over the counter - I need to go to GP to get prescription if possible as this should decrease cost) and it seems to be mostly helping.
I say mostly because this week things hit an all time low. Two nights in a row I was woken in the middle of the night with really bad reflux and made the decision that I needed to sleep with two pillow to raise my upper body. This has really helped.
I spent a lot of last week doing a lot of research on how I could manage this more naturally going forward. Two key things came up;
1) Chiropractor Hernial Adjustment. Say what now? Chiropractors claim they know a technique, which you can also self-manage at home, that helps put the stomach back in its natural position. I watched a few YouTube videos read a few articles then hunted around for a local chiro to ask if they do these treatments. As it turns out there is one in the next town, who not only does the treatments, but lived in Victoria for 20 years (even studied his Chiropractic degree there)! Bonus! I had my first treatment on Saturday and will go back two times a week for three weeks. Jos the Chiro also suggested that I start taking digestive enzymes supplements to assist my stomach digest food whilst I work out how to better manage my reflux.
2) 30-day Heartburn Solution Programme. I've been following Fearless Eating for a few months now. But last week, who knows why I missed it earlier, I found his programme whilst googling; called the 30-day Heartburn Solution. I clicked on it, downloaded the first four chapters, liked what I saw and got the full-program. Some of you may remember me mentioning that I was looking at programmes like GAPS and other similar gut-healing diets. This one to me is well explained, seems less daunting (it doesn't say I have to be on it for two years! like GAPS) and achievable. I plan on embarking on this program on Wednesday (Simon flies out to Melbourne tomorrow night)
So there you have it folks. My current health update and short-term future plan on how I plan to heal myself and manage my symptoms.
Wish me luck!
K x
Today I wanted to pop in and give you a bit of an update on my general health.
Headaches/Chronic Neck Pain.Things with my headaches/chronic neck pain are they best they have ever been since it first started in my early twenties. I really do recommend that people with chronic problems visit Rafael at Ramses Health in Amsterdam. Rafael is extremely caring but also a little bit crazy but I love that about him. I can promise you that the short term price is worth the long-term improvements.
Body brushing and Oil Pulling. To be honest these have fallen by the way-side. When I fell into my slump over summer I was struggling to get out of bed in the morning let alone feeling energetic enough to do menial tasks. I am hoping to re-introduce these over the coming weeks. I have been doing some research on performing these daily rituals in the evening instead of the mornings. I haven't found anything compelling to indicate that there are no benefits to doing them at this time, so I figure doing them then is better than not doing them at all, right?
Warm Lemon Water and Apple Cider Vinegar. So this brings me to the main issue I want to discuss. My stomach.
My bloody stomach! (and, yes Dad, bloody was necessary in this sentence! :-) )
A few months back I was slowly trying to wean myself off my PPI (stomach acid blockers) medication. I have been taking this medication since I was in my early twenties (do you see a pattern emerging here?). Some of you may remember that I've also mentioned that I came off the Nuva-Ring (birth control/hormone control) back in June. Around the same time I was trying to come off all medication so that my body was in the most natural state it could be in an attempt to heal naturally.
Everything seemed to all go wrong. I fell into my slump (which mind you had already started before I came off the nuva-ring, but I'm guessing this didn't help), my reflux came back with a vengeance (I couldn't hack drinking the lemon and ACV mix), my weight sky-rocketed, my skin went mental, my hirsutism worsened (result of PCOS and no longer on nuva-ring) a big giant, feeling sorry for myself *sigh*
So what steps am I taking?
PCOS and hormones. I am a big fan of Nat Kringoudis so I purchased her Debunking PCOS E-Course. Let's be straight here - 90% of what Nat discusses was not new for me. I've known I've had PCOS since I was 17 years old. For me this was more about how the information was delivered and what steps I can take from a more holistic point of view rather than a straight "not-always right" medical perspective. For those who have only recently discovered they have PCOS or just want to understand their hormones better for healthier body, mind and spirit (and or wanting to get pregnant in the not too distant future and want your body to be baby ready) then I highly recommend this for you.
One of the biggest things all my internet research, over the past 12-18 months, comes back to is gut health. Nat cannot express enough how much gut health influences our hormones. Just another reason for me to look further in it.
My "bloody" stomach (Hiatus Hernia and reflux). First port of call was getting the right medication. Out of nowhere the medication I had relied on for over 12 years was no longer working. I'm not sure if this is because the recipe over here in Europe differs slightly to Australian standards or that with this new vengeance my body needed something else. Either way I am now taking a slightly different drug (unfortunately more expensive but available over the counter - I need to go to GP to get prescription if possible as this should decrease cost) and it seems to be mostly helping.
I say mostly because this week things hit an all time low. Two nights in a row I was woken in the middle of the night with really bad reflux and made the decision that I needed to sleep with two pillow to raise my upper body. This has really helped.
I spent a lot of last week doing a lot of research on how I could manage this more naturally going forward. Two key things came up;
1) Chiropractor Hernial Adjustment. Say what now? Chiropractors claim they know a technique, which you can also self-manage at home, that helps put the stomach back in its natural position. I watched a few YouTube videos read a few articles then hunted around for a local chiro to ask if they do these treatments. As it turns out there is one in the next town, who not only does the treatments, but lived in Victoria for 20 years (even studied his Chiropractic degree there)! Bonus! I had my first treatment on Saturday and will go back two times a week for three weeks. Jos the Chiro also suggested that I start taking digestive enzymes supplements to assist my stomach digest food whilst I work out how to better manage my reflux.
2) 30-day Heartburn Solution Programme. I've been following Fearless Eating for a few months now. But last week, who knows why I missed it earlier, I found his programme whilst googling; called the 30-day Heartburn Solution. I clicked on it, downloaded the first four chapters, liked what I saw and got the full-program. Some of you may remember me mentioning that I was looking at programmes like GAPS and other similar gut-healing diets. This one to me is well explained, seems less daunting (it doesn't say I have to be on it for two years! like GAPS) and achievable. I plan on embarking on this program on Wednesday (Simon flies out to Melbourne tomorrow night)
So there you have it folks. My current health update and short-term future plan on how I plan to heal myself and manage my symptoms.
Wish me luck!
K x
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