Life is never a straight pathway from 'A' to 'B' but often convoluted. We return to pathways and subjects that we have visited before. Why did I decide to start a blog about nutrition and living a Holistic lifestyle ?
It probably all began with Home Education.
Whilst home educating my son I met many people who would later influence my future path. My son was a keen science student so by default I found myself learning a great deal of physics and chemistry. At college I had gotten no further than Human Biology !
One particular science tutor had retrained as a Medical Herbalist. I'd always had an interest in herbs not just for their culinary uses but also their healing powers. Taking on an allotment in a fit of enthusiasm to encourage the family to eat more healthily, I had rose tinted ideas of the herb garden I would create on my allotment.
In the event I grew mostly potatoes and sweetcorn and fought a constant battle with aggressive weeds. Before deciding to enroll at college to learn from the experts about plant care. The year I spent studying for my Royal Horticultural Society Certificate in Practical Horticulture was thoroughly enjoyable and enough to convince me that a career in horticulture was not for me. Instead I embarked on a 3 year programme of study in Herbalism.
Herbs are amazing plants and nature provides so many remedies. Having qualified to advisor level I had hoped to continue to be a Herbal doctor but that required University study. I had neither the luxury of time or money for such a venture but then life intervenes. It was a health scare within the family that led me to learn about nutrition. Having to analyze what you eat, to pore over packaging labels and discover exactly what happens to your food before it reaches your plate is quite an education.
Rather like falling down a rabbit hole....and I am still falling. There is so much more to learn.
So I have set this blog up as a space to share what I have learnt on my herbal, health and nutrition journey. I hope you enjoy reading along and feel free to share anything of interest.
I'm going to begin by re-sharing something that I wrote last year on the subject of hayfever.
'It's that time of year again when hay fever misery is upon us. This summer seems to be shaping up to be a particularly bad one for those who suffer 'seasonal rhinitis'. Sneezing, itchy or running eyes and a blocked up/running nose can leave you feeling under par.
We all suffer from hay fever in our house but our son has the worst of it. Perhaps it will get better as he grows older....I hope so as the condition can be quite debilitating.
So over the years we have tried just about every over the counter remedy available. I change the bed linen more frequently ,remind him to wash his hair(as pollen can become trapped in the hair) drive with the AC on not open windows but it seems to make very little difference.
I've tried homoeopathic remedies, some of which helped for a while but like any allergic reaction it is useful if you know what triggers it....we don't. Some individuals are sensitive to the pollen of Rapeseed, others to tree pollen, or grass or flowers and the season is long. From March through to September. With our son it is always worse in early summer, generally in June although this depends on the weather.
Ideally when taking a hay fever treatment you should try and start before the hay fever season begins.
Then by coincidence two articles crossed my radar on the use of Stinging Nettle in treating Hay Fever symptoms.
I knew from my herbal studies that nettles are good for many health conditions. They are packed with Vitamin C and K and are considered very cleansing for the body. When used to treat coughs and respiratory problems they help to eliminate mucus. They also contain an anti inflammatory agent called scopoletin which helps to 'calm down' the overactive immune response. This reduces the amount of histamine in the body and alleviates hay fever symptoms.
You can very easily make your own nettle tea or take it as a supplement. I bought vegan capsules of 500mg of Urtica Dioica powder and he takes 3 a day (with food)
http://medherb.com/Materia_Medica/Urtica_-_Stinging_nettles_and_hay_fever.htm
Unlike over the counter antihistamine treatments, stinging nettle has no side effects of drowsiness. '
If you are a 'seasonal sufferer' then these are worth a try, they have certainly helped our family.
I'm going to begin by re-sharing something that I wrote last year on the subject of hayfever.
'It's that time of year again when hay fever misery is upon us. This summer seems to be shaping up to be a particularly bad one for those who suffer 'seasonal rhinitis'. Sneezing, itchy or running eyes and a blocked up/running nose can leave you feeling under par.
We all suffer from hay fever in our house but our son has the worst of it. Perhaps it will get better as he grows older....I hope so as the condition can be quite debilitating.
So over the years we have tried just about every over the counter remedy available. I change the bed linen more frequently ,remind him to wash his hair(as pollen can become trapped in the hair) drive with the AC on not open windows but it seems to make very little difference.
I've tried homoeopathic remedies, some of which helped for a while but like any allergic reaction it is useful if you know what triggers it....we don't. Some individuals are sensitive to the pollen of Rapeseed, others to tree pollen, or grass or flowers and the season is long. From March through to September. With our son it is always worse in early summer, generally in June although this depends on the weather.
Ideally when taking a hay fever treatment you should try and start before the hay fever season begins.
Then by coincidence two articles crossed my radar on the use of Stinging Nettle in treating Hay Fever symptoms.
I knew from my herbal studies that nettles are good for many health conditions. They are packed with Vitamin C and K and are considered very cleansing for the body. When used to treat coughs and respiratory problems they help to eliminate mucus. They also contain an anti inflammatory agent called scopoletin which helps to 'calm down' the overactive immune response. This reduces the amount of histamine in the body and alleviates hay fever symptoms.
You can very easily make your own nettle tea or take it as a supplement. I bought vegan capsules of 500mg of Urtica Dioica powder and he takes 3 a day (with food)
http://medherb.com/Materia_Medica/Urtica_-_Stinging_nettles_and_hay_fever.htm
Unlike over the counter antihistamine treatments, stinging nettle has no side effects of drowsiness. '
If you are a 'seasonal sufferer' then these are worth a try, they have certainly helped our family.
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