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Zinc for Skin, Hormones and Cravings

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Zinc is an essential trace element, that’s found and used by every cell throughout your body. Could this simple mineral deficiency be the cause of your health issue?

It’s estimated that around 20% of the world’s population, have sub-optimal zinc status. 

This nutrient isn’t usually in the spotlight, but your body’s performance wouldn’t be nearly as harmonious without it.

Why is Zinc So Important?

It is important for the functioning of over 300 enzymes and underlies the physiology of every body system.

Zinc is one of 16 essential minerals that you need to survive. you only need small amounts of it. Anytime a nutrient is considered ‘essential’ it means your body needs it to stay healthy, you can’t produce it and therefore you must get it from your food.  

We don’t hear as much about it as we do major minerals—like iron, sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium—which your body uses in larger amounts. But your body relies on zinc for growth, maintenance, and numerous biological functions – skin health, immunity, growth hormones, and more, so it’s definitely worth keeping tabs on your intake.

Someone I know told me that when she addressed her zinc deficiency, within days, her energy and sleep returned to normal.

What are the signs that you might not be getting enough zinc?

  • A weak immune system (frequent and/or long colds), poor wound healing
  • GI issues – Diarrhea, low stomach acid production, gut wall barrier function
  • Hair loss
  • Hormonal imbalance (PMS, hypothyroid, low progesterone, infertility, low libido)
  • Fatigue or Brain fog
  • Changes in taste & smell
  • Slow growth in early years
  • Low mood, memory, concentration
  • Anxiety and depression 


Incredible Benefits of Zinc

Your body uses zinc in numerous ways, here are some of the key areas:

1. Significantly boosts your immune systemand helps to fight off viruses and bacteria. 

the link between gut and allergies

It’s essential for the normal development of your immune cells, zinc supplements can be used in SOS moments to reduce the duration of a cold. It also supports the function of the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) that protects your cells from oxidative damage caused by exposure to environmental toxins.

2. It can help your skinand plays a key role in cuts and scrapes healing properly —in fact, it’s involved with every stage of the process, tissue renewal to scar formation. If it takes a while for your cuts, scrapes, and burns to heal, you may want to take a look at your zinc intake. Acne sufferers – studies have found that certain forms of the mineral can soothe breakouts.  

3. Zinc may help keep your vision healthy as you age. Several studies have found that supplementing with zinc can help protect you against advanced age-related macular degeneration. This is a condition that can lead to vision loss, and it’s most common in those over 50. 

4. Zinc keeps your blood sugar stable and plays a role in the synthesis, storage, and release of insulin in your pancreas. So, a zinc deficiency could negatively affect your insulin levels, which can lead to negative changes in appetite and blood sugar levels. 

5. It keeps your digestion running smoothly. Zinc acts as a co-factor in a lot of gut activities  – like helping your body to properly digest food(stomach acid production), absorb nutrients and may improve your gut wall integrity.

You may mistake symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea for something like a gluten intolerance. Zinc deficiency is related to digestive problems like diarrhoeaand supplementation has been shown to reduce the duration of acute diarrhoea.

6. It could help reduce inflammation: Some researchers believe that low zinc levels are associated with systemic inflammation, a condition that’s linked with everything from heart disease to cancer. 

I have written before about how inflammation is increasingly thought to be a significant contributor to many chronic illnesses—from cancer, heart disease, autoimmune disorders and Type 2 diabetes—more so as we get older.

Chronic, low-grade inflammation is worsened by excessive fat around the middle, poor diet, lack of exercise – all the usual lifestyle factors.

Zinc is one of the body’s natural anti-inflammatories, however it is susceptible to malabsorption, particularly as we grow older, leading to deficiency. 

7. Zinc benefits both male and female hormonal health, you need sufficient levels of zinc for your body to create hormones. and to maintain proper hormone balance. 

Boosting fertility, as it plays an important role in increasing testosterone naturally, and is involved in the creation and release of eggs within and from the ovaries.

Research has found that zinc levels are directly associated with the following hormones, 

  • Testosterone 
  • Growth hormone
  • Thyroid hormones – T3 & T4
  • Oestrogen
  • Progesterone

 If your levels are too high or too low it can cause problems with menstruation, mood swings, early menopause, thyroid and infertility.
8. When you’re under stress, whether emotional (e.g. work) or physical (e.g. trauma, overtraining), you’re at risk of using up zinc more quickly than you’re able to replenish it, and become more vulnerable to infection, as well as other health issues, such as depression.

Zinc manufactures enzymes which are required for serotonin (the happy hormone) production and is also involved in the synthesis of a neurotransmitter called GABA that calms down your nervous responses.

In particular it reduces the activity of beta waves in your brain, this allows more analytical thinking. 
Studies have shown that zinc levels are low in patients who are anxious or depressed.

Zinc also ….

  • Helps to create DNA in every cell
  • Is essential during growth and development in babies and children.
  • Provides building blocks for enzymes needed in a healthy metabolism.
  • Supports protein synthesis.
  • Allows you to smell and taste. 
  • Can combat high blood pressure.
  • Boosts athletic performance through improved muscle repair.


Who may be at risk of a low zinc status:

  • Vegans and vegetarians are susceptible, as plant foods are less abundant in zinc than animal protein. Plants are often rich in a substance called phytic acid that inhibits the absorption of minerals.
  • Poor absorption – amongst those with digestive conditions (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease) and diarrhea.
  • Low stomach acid levels driven by ageing and stomach acid lowering medications, result in poor zinc absorption. The elderly, are most susceptible be the reason why they are at high risk of a zinc deficiency and immune issues.
  • High usage of zinc – due to high stress, or pregnancy, breastfeeding, high alcohol intake, and chronic use of other ‘zinc-depleting’ medications such as diuretics.

How Do You Increase Your Zinc Status?

Zinc is found in animal protein, especially red meat, turkey, oysters, and shrimp. 

Plant foods also provide zinc – pulses, legumes, nuts, and seeds i.e. cashews, pumpkin seeds, beans, lentils, quinoa and eggs. To improve the absorption of zinc from phytate-rich plant foods such as pulses, grains, nuts and seeds – soak, ferment, or sprout them, this will help to reduce the phytate content.

Support your ability to handle stress by practicing a daily relaxation technique, increase your intake of calming herbs, nutrients – like B Vitamins, magnesium, passiflora and L-theanine. Using calming essential oils – lavender, clary sage and bergamot.

Support your digestion and absorption – with mindful eating, probiotics and digestive enzyme supplementation.

Consider daily zinc supplementation, especially if you are vegan, vegetarian, pregnant, breastfeeding, and for children as well, and seek the advice of a professional for tailored advice according to your unique health needs. Zinc supplementation has been shown to be beneficial for a wide range of clinical scenarios.

Improving your zinc status may well be the missing link to your path to optimum health.

To B or B6; the importance of Vitamin B6 for energy and hormones

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To B or not to B6
​
It might be old news but could you be missing this nutrient. 

If you don’t remember your dreams, you’re not alone. This can be a pretty revealing symptom, of a vitamin B6 deficiency.

In fact there’s quite a few signs that you might be deficient in this vitamin. Be sure to check the list below, as it’s mostly an easy fix.

Like if you’re moody, tired or hormonal or you suffer from water retention, low stomach acid (acid reflux), you lack energy, have anaemia, spasms, headaches or nausea. 
 
You might also have skin rashes, sore cracked lips, a glossy painful tongue, changes in your mood and a poor immune system.

Vitamin B6 can also help with:

  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • PMS
  • Menopause
  • Fatigue
  • Depression
  • Cheilosis (inflammation and cracking of the corners of the mouth)

 
It’s fairly easy to become depleted due to stress and there's plenty of that around, along with  high alcohol consumption and a poor diet.

Why is B6 so important? 
 
The B Vitamins are powerful and essential for you to stay healthy, sharp, energetic, balanced, and play they a huge role in the liver detoxification process.
 
Vitamin B6 is fascinating: It’s involved in more bodily functions than any other single nutrient; affecting both mental and physical outlook.
 
Sufficient levels of B6 keep your liver functioning optimally by promoting the proper flow of fat and bile to and from the liver.
 
B6 also has one of the most dramatic mood-elevating effects of all the B vitamins. It activates many enzymes and aids B12 absorption.
 
Dopamine and serotonin are neurotransmitters and both require B6 in the conversion process. They, in turn, help to support and balance your moods, give you a positive mental outlook, and a healthy response to occasional stress.  B6 can help to correct your brain metabolism dysfunctions that cause depression, and maintain a healthy nervous system. 
 
B6 binds to oestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, helping to detoxify excess amounts of these hormones, to help reduce your risk of hormone related cancers.
 
Additional roles for vitamin B6 include the healthy metabolism of your proteins, proper hormone signalling, and transportation of oxygen in the blood. For these reasons, adequate B6 levels may help maintain steady energy levels.
 
However, the potential vitamin B6 benefits don’t stop there. 

It acts as a natural painkiller, also enhances immunity by increasing the synthesis of antibodies used to protect the body. 

In fact, studies show that vitamin B6 benefits can also maintain healthy blood vessels, reduce symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, prevent kidney stones and more to help maximise your health.
 
What is Vitamin B6?

Vitamin B6, or Pyridoxine, is a water-soluble vitamin that is needed for over 100 enzyme reactions in your body. 

Vitamin B6 has several derivatives that are used by your body every single day and plays a major role in everything from movement to memory to energy expenditure and blood flow.

Your body cannot produce vitamin B6, so it has to be taken in through your diet or through supplements. 
 
Vitamin B6 is present in food, however absorption may be impaired due to a decrease in kidney or liver function, poor absorption in the digestive tract (especially in Celiac Disease, IBD, or bariatric surgery), autoimmune disease, chronic alcohol dependence, or drug interactions. As a result, increased supplementation may be required.
 
Some medications that may interfere with the absorption of B6 from foods include oral contraceptives and NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). 
 
Foods that contain vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is found in a wide variety of foods, with the richest sources of vitamin B6 - include fish, beef liver and other organ meats, potatoes and other starchy vegetables, and fruit (other than citrus).

Here is a handy table that show some selected food sources of vitamin B6 

Food

Milligrams (mg) per serving

Chickpeas, canned, 1 cup

          1.1

Beef liver, pan fried, 3 ounces

0.9

Tuna, yellowfin, fresh, cooked, 3 ounces

0.9

Salmon, sockeye, cooked, 3 ounces

0.6

Chicken breast, roasted, 3 ounces

0.5

Potatoes, boiled, 1 cup

0.4

Turkey, meat only, roasted, 3 ounces

0.4

Banana, 1 medium

0.4

Marinara (spaghetti) sauce, ready to serve, 1 cup

0.4

Ground beef, patty, 85% lean, broiled, 3 ounces

0.3

Waffles, plain, ready to heat, toasted, 1 waffle

0.3

Bulgur, cooked, 1 cup

0.2

Cottage cheese, 1% low-fat, 1 cup

0.2

Squash, winter, baked, ½ cup

0.2

Rice, white, long-grain, enriched, cooked, 1 cup

0.1

Nuts, mixed, dry-roasted, 1 ounce

0.1

Raisins, seedless, ½ cup

0.1

Onions, chopped, ½ cup

0.1

Spinach, frozen, chopped, boiled, ½ cup

0.1

Tofu, raw, firm, prepared with calcium sulfate, ½ cup

0.1

Watermelon, raw, 1 cup

0.1

Recommended dosage of B6

The optimal daily dose of Vitamin B6 is 25 to 50 mg. 

As magnesiumand zinc are common co-factors and needed along with B6 for multiple metabolic conversions, I recommend ensuring adequate levels of these alongside the B6.
 
What are the benefits of B6 for hormones?
 
B6 helps reduce oestrogen dominance- In phase 2 of your liver detoxification, toxins are combined with another compound that will safely escort them out of the body. Vitamin B6, along with B12, folate, and beets (root and leaves) support the methylation pathway that clears oestrogen from the body.
 
Read more about the liver here. Or, for a more comprehensive explanation of oestrogen dominance, read here
 
B6 plays a role in progesterone production– low progesterone can increase premenstrual anxiety and irritability. A study done on women with PMS were given vitamin B6 which was shown to reduce oestrogen and increase progesterone, improving their symptoms. 

Progesterone can stimulate the production of the neurotransmitter GABA, that can help relieve your PMS symptoms.
 
B6 reduces histamine, which is excitatory neurotransmitter. High histamine can contribute to PMS. Vitamin B6’s ability to raise progesterone can also help to reduce histamine levels. Oestrogen stimulates mast cells to produce more histamine, and histamine consequently stimulates the production of more oestrogen. It’s a vicious cycle which vitamin B6 may help break.
 
Vitamin B6 helps balance blood sugar -  B6 levels tend to be lower in those with Type 2 Diabetes. In a study, women were given 100 mg of vitamin B6 per day over a 2 week period which significantly improved their glucose tolerance. 
 
In summary
Whether it’s through including more vitamin B6 foods in your diet or taking a B complex to meet your daily needs, getting enough vitamin B6 is absolutely essential due to the number of benefits and vital functions vitamin B6 provides. 

Rose a woman’s healing herb – an essential in any healing toolkit

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Rose A Herbal Healer

The rose is steeped in legend and symbolism from Greek mythology, the Eastern traditions and also in Roman legends. Since those early days the rose has not only been appreciated for its beauty and perfume but also for its medicinal values.

One of the most sensuous and romantic of flowers – is used as a symbol of love in western cultures, of divine love in the church, as a food in the middle east and in skin and perfume preparations since Egyptian times.

In Ayurveda they say rose treats the heart, nerves, and lifts the spirits. It has an affinity for the blood and has a certain astringency that stops bleeding and reduces inflammation, so it’s very beneficial when there are signs of heat (in Ayurveda high Pitta in one’s constitution) – like a red tongue, agitation, hot flushes, lots of blood, irritability and emotional sensitivity.

Rose a herbal healer

The areas where I tend to find rose most beneficial, as a Naturopath and Herbalist, is for women who have issues with PMT, hormone imbalance or who  have periods that are painful, excessive or irregular, it is helpful with infertility and to increase sexual desire.

If there is an underlying anxiety, nervousness, sadness or grief the role of rose is nourishing on the nervous system. It has a calming effect on the emotions and the heart.

I would also recommend using Rose in the following situations:

– for fevers, rashes, infections, colds & flu
– as a tea to help clear heat & boost immunity
– for hyperacidity, diarrhea, excess phlegm
– rose water is an excellent cleanser used to soothe the skin
– to help with tissue repair with skin blemishes, acne, minor cuts and fine lines

How to use Rose

  • PMT or problems with your periods –  try drinking 2 -3 cups of Rose tea daily.
  • Feeling irritable or sad – add rose otto essential oil to your bath or rub it on your forehead or over your heart area. Drink the tea.
  • Red skin and acne – spray your face with Rose water after cleansing. The best toner ever!
  • Inflamed red eyes – spray rose water onto cotton pads and place over eyelids

To find out more about how you can work with me – please see the different options  HERE

Also if you’d like to receive future newsletters or blogs straight to your inbox, please sign up HERE in the sign-up box. 

‘The Good Health Guide’ newsletter is filled with inspiration, practical, easy to follow tips and articles on healthy eating, recipes, exercise and natural medicines to help you live a healthier life.

These newsletter are all delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up HERE.

This is what readers of the ‘The Good Health Guide’ newsletter are saying about it:

  • Just to say that I do really like your newsletters and many thanks! I always read them all the way through and there’s not many newsletters I can say that about. Sue Saker – London UK www.thecouplescoach.co.uk,

  • Thanks for this – I love receiving your emails ! So interesting.
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Oxytocin – The ‘Love Hormone’ reverses stress & lowers blood pressure

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We all know that our health is very dependent on what we eat and drink, however research also shows that we need to consider the impact of our emotions and how they affect our hormones, and therefore our health.

You may have heard about oxytocin before, it’s the hormone that is released during birth and oxytocin’s nickname – “the love hormone” – is well earned: you release this ‘cuddle hormone’ when you hug someone, cuddle your pet, do a good deed, or share a meal.

Dr David Hamilton has done a fascinating study reviewing the latest research into how kindness and compassion cause a contagious effect, from one person to the next.

The research demonstrates that kindness, compassion and affection from someone else will send a rush of oxytocin through your bloodstream, a bit like eating a handful of blueberries.

Even thinking about someone who loves us or someone we deeply care for, is enough to activate the release of oxytocin in the brain and that’s why it’s known as the feel good hormone.

What else can oxytocin do for you and why would you want more?

1. It immediately and directly lowers your blood pressure
2. It reverses the effects of stress on your body.
3. It increases a person’s friendliness and desire to connect – the idea that kindness is contagious.

So share a little kindness and affection as it can go a long way – you’ll feel good and so does the other person, pass the good feelings and improve your own health.

The effects of this natural love potion is amplified by oestrogen – one reason women tend to be more physically demonstrative than men (particularly during the high oestrogen days of the month when they’re ovulating) and are generally more affected by touch.

Oestrogen tends to decline during and after menopause, make sure you take steps to ensure you continue to benefit from this life enhancing hormone. 

If you’re hormones are all over the place perhaps these articles will help you.

A bad case of PMS or is it Perimenopause?
Part 2: Have You’re Hormones Suddenly Gone Crazy or Are You Perimenopausal?

To help you get started on your journey to better health, you can start with one of the free resources on this page. If you’re looking for help with your digestion or gut, or if you need more energy then be sure to choose the  guide to Endless Energy

 All the resources on this page  are FREE for you to download.

Oregano the superman of essential oils

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Oregano is the superman of oils for your immune system. It’s one of the oils that goes in my Immune Bomb Blend along with On Guard, Tea Tree and Frankincense in an oil rub.

Oregano oil is rich in phenols that prevent fungal infection. It also has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties.

Oregano oil can be taken internally to help support a healthy immune system and healthy digestion and respiratory function.* 

Oregano oil is also an excellent source of antioxidants.* Other benefits of Oregano oil can be utilised when preparing and eating culinary dishes. 

One drop taken daily can help maintain healthy immune function.* 

Oregano can be taken more frequently when seasonal threats are high or as needed to further boost immunity.* 

You can put two drops of Oregano essential oil in a veggie capsule to help support immune function.*

• This is a hot oil so please use with caution – always dilute even when diffusing or inhaling—only one to two drops are needed. When applied topically, Oregano oil should always be diluted with Coconut Oil.

Ensure Purity Of Your Oregano Oil

Each batch of doTERRA essential oils is thoroughly and carefully tested through the CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® protocol. This protocol is composed of a variety of strict, scientific tests that assess the purity of doTERRA essential oils. If a batch of essential oils is tested and found pure, then it is packaged and released so that individuals and families everywhere can experience the powerful impact of pure and effective essential oils. 

• Diffuse with doTerra On Guard when you are coming down with a cold or feeling sick.

If you’d like to know more about how to order doTerra oils, please email me sue@suehardman.com

Cautions
Possible skin sensitivity. Keep out of reach of children. If you are pregnant, nursing, or under a doctor’s care, consult your physician. Avoid contact with eyes, inner ears, and sensitive areas.

doTERRA places an emphasis on providing pure oils because pure oils are effective oils. Too often, essential oils available for purchase are diluted with filler substances or contaminants. Oils that are not pure decrease how effective the essential oils are and reduce their power and potential. 

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease

Here's a few options for ordering your very own doTerra essential oils

Become a wholesale member

If you just want to buy oils –  let me first explain the benefits (and pretty much ZERO risk) of starting a wholesale account:

  • Get access to wholesale pricing (25% discount)
  • dōTERRA now has local distribution centres and warehouses in Australia, Central America, Costa Rica, Europe, French Polynesia, Guatemale, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States.
  • dōTERRA is looking to have local distribution centres in South Africa in 2019, so you are in a Global Access Country.  As a result, you can still set up an account as a Global Access Member, and order from America or if you have family or friends travelling to South Africa they can  bring for you.
  • Wholesale warehouses are opening up around the world regularly, consequently it will not take too long to get a warehouse in YOUR country.

How to set up a wholesale account:

Option 1: Pay a wholesale annual membership of $35, then you can choose any oils, blends, or consumables to create a custom order whenever you like AND you can purchase dōTERRA products at a discounted price (a minimum 25% discount). There are no other requirements with this option. No monthly fee or purchase required. To keep your wholesale pricing, you just need to buy 1 item every year (and even if you’re only using one oil, that should be pretty easy)

* Ensure that you add the 'Introductory Welcome Packet' at checkout if choosing this option.

Option 2 (the better option): Purchase a starter kit to kick off your membership, and the wholesale membership fee is waived! 

Purchasing a kit is the best value way to get started and there's an enrolment kit to suit every budget. The Home Essentials Kit is amazing value as you'll receive the top 10 essential oils that every household needs plus a diffuser.

 (if you’re overwhelmed and not sure what’s right for you, please get in touch – sue@suehardman.com

As a wholesale member, you’ll:

  • Save 25% off all your orders
  • Gain access to our Private Facebook Support Groups and Online Oil Education Program
  • Have the option to receive commissions or referral bonuses for sharing with friends and family – or building your own business, should you choose
    ​
    ​

Ready to join me? Here’s what you do:

Drop me an email and I'll send you the details on how to do this - sue@suehardman.com

What the heck is Candida & how to know if you have it

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If you have any of these symptoms, you may have candida:-

  • A white coating on the tongue is typical.
  • You are sensitive to many foods 
  • You carry stubborn weight, no matter what you do 
  • You experience brain fog
  • You have ongoing tummy bloating
  • You are struggling with autoimmunity 
  • Your hormones are still wonky in spite of doing many good things 
  • You crave something sweetor anything with carbs 
  • You have itchy ears, rectum or vagina
  • You struggle with intestinal distress such as constipation, bloating, or gas
  • You have mental/emotional aspects including depression and anxiety
  • You have debilitating fatigue or exhaustion
  • You have chronic sinus infections
  • Recurring vaginal yeast infections
  • Hypothyroidism (Candida inhibits thyroid conversion)

What exactly is Candida?

Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungus or yeast, meaning that it will grow out of balance in the right conditions. We all have it in our bodies, and most of the time it’s harmless. When it overgrows, it causes major problems and symptoms.

It's a very common condition and if you suffer from digestive issues, fatigue, brain fog, recurring fungal infections, skin problems, mood swings, and more, it could be due to a Candida overgrowth.

You can beat your Candida and have your energy and vitality return, mental clarity restored, and chronic symptoms fade away.

For some women, clearing Candida is as easy as abstaining from sugar and processed carbs for 6 to 8 weeks. For others, it can take a well orchestrated effort involving a lot more.

Bottom line: Candida can be an infection that needs to be cleared for good, so you can move forward with your health. 

What Causes Candida?

It could be any one from the list below, or a combination of them that reduces your good gut flora, thins your gut lining, compromises your immunity and allows candida to take over.

If you've had it for a while, it can also start start to play havoc on your hormonal and immune health.

The main causes are:

  • You have a diet high in sugar & refined carbohydrates and alcohol. These break down to glucose, which is candida's preferred food source to allow it to proliferate and begin to take over your intestinal tract.
  • You may have chronic stress - this suppresses your immune system and signals your body to release stored glucose into the bloodstream, which the candida loves!
  • You've been on antibiotics or birth control pills, or the antibiotics in your meat supply.

    These can destroy the friendly, good bacteria in your gut that play a huge role in your immune system. With your good bacteria destroyed, the fast growing yeasts take over and can grow unchecked. Antibiotics - even just one full-spectrum round can cause it.

    Antibiotics kill bacteria—both the good and the bad. So whenever antibiotics are used, you need to repopulate the intestinal flora with good bacteria (probiotics). 

    Antibiotics can also thin your mucosal lining, leaving you ill-equipped to wrap up pathogens such as parasites and transport them out of the body. This can make us vulnerable to all kinds of foreign invaders and yeast overgrowth. 

  • Your immune system is weakened - if you have an existing inflammatory or autoimmune condition, your weakened immune system gives the yeasts more opportunity  to reproduce.

If Candida penetrates your gut lining so that it becomes leaky, it then opens the floodgates for undigested food particles, toxins, viruses, and bacteria to pass through your intestinal wall and into your bloodstream. This then triggers an inflammatory response from your immune system in an attempt to fight off these foreign “invaders”. 

How to Test for Candida?

There are stool, blood and urine lab tests you can do for Candida overgrowth.

Stool Testing
This is one most accurate test available. This will check for Candida in your colon or lower intestines.

You need to ensure that you do a comprehensive stool test rather than the standard doctors stool test. The lab can usually determine the species of yeast as well as which treatment will be effective.

Urine Organix Dysbiosis Test
Can detect elevated D-Arabinitol, a waste product of Candida overgrowth, and determine if there is Candida in your upper gut or small intestines.

However, many people can't afford to run labs and many don’t want to go through the hassle of testing.

When that is the case, there is a fast, easy, free DIY Candida spit test you can do at home (it was also featured on The Dr. Oz Show).
For six days in a row, when you wake up in the morning, fill a glass halfway with room-temperature water (before you brush your teeth or eat or drink anything).

It’s as simple as this:
Next, work up about a teaspoon amount of saliva and spit it into the glass. Check it three times over the course of forty-five minutes to see if your saliva sinks to the bottom, stays floating on top, or if it grows legs, little spindly tails that reach down the glass.

If it sinks or grows legs, then you can suspect that yeast is overgrowing in your system. Don’t be freaked out, it happens to so many of us these days, and there is a way to cleanse from it permanently.

How do you deal with your Candida overgrowth?

In a perfect world, your good bacteria would keep the Candida in check and it wouldn’t be a problem, however we are doing so many things daily to kill our good gut bacteria.

Effectively treating your Candida involves stopping the overgrowth, restoring the friendly bacteria that usually keep them in check, and repairing your gut so that Candida can no longer enter your bloodstream.

You can accomplish this with a simple and proven four-wave attack as follows:

Part 1: First, you need to starve the Candida by removing the foods that feed it from your diet.

Eliminate all yeast, gluten, sugar, white flour, fermented foods and drinks, and most fruit. Complex carbohydrates such as gluten-free grains, legumes, and root vegetables are allowed, but should be limited. Focus on non-starchy vegetables, clean animal protein, and healthy fats including avocado, butter, and coconut oil for six to eight weeks.our text here...

Coconut oil - Take 1 tbsp of extra-virgin coconut oil daily and use in meals, where possible. Coconut oil exhibits both antimicrobial and antifungal properties and has demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of fungal infections including Candida.

Alkalise with greens - Get your daily greens by adding 1 cup of dark, leafy greens like spinach or kale to every meal or have a vegetable juice twice daily - 4 celery stalks, 1 cucumber, 1 cup spinach or kale, 1 inch ginger, 1 lemon and ½ an apple.

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) - Take 2 teaspoons in a small amount of water twice daily. ACV has anti-fungal properties which can kill yeasts and prevent yeasts from reproducing. 

  • Part 2:  Attack the Candida by using herbs, oils & supplements that can help remove Candida
    ​
    ​Use healing herbs & spices - Cook with garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, and oregano. These herbs exhibit antifungal properties that prevent the continued growth of Candida. Black walnut, olive leaf and golden seal are also helpful in combating candida.

    Vitamin C - Take 1,000 mg of a wholefood Vitamin C supplement twice daily. Vitamin C helps fight off the ‘die-off’ symptoms of Candida. This is when the yeast in the body releases toxins into the system as it gets killed off.   

superman oregano essential oil

Oregano oil -  has been used medicinally for centuries due to its potent antiviral, antibacterial & anti-inflammatory properties. Recent studies indicate its efficacy in overcoming Candida overgrowth

  • Part 3: You'll need repopulate your gut with good bacteria using a probiotic supplement to restore your gut’s healthy microbial balance. 

    Build your gut and intestinal tract using a glutamine-based product, to heal your gut lining.

  • Part 4: Manage Stress. You can take an epsom salt bath - Enjoy a warm bath with two cups of epsom salt daily. This reduces stress & draws toxins out through the skin. Add some lemongrass essential oil for its refreshing smell and therapeutic antifungal effect that has been shown to kill external candida 

You can’t possibly live to your fullest potential if you’re constantly hindered by how you handle stress, on-going digestive issues, tiredness, haywire hormones  yo-yo dieting, and not having enough energy to get all you need done. The list goes on….. sleepless nights.. 

By taking charge of your health you can take charge of how you feel and  how you LIVE.

My consultations and health programmes are not your typical diet program. Instead, we focuses on fueling your body with delicious, nutrient-dense foods that boost your metabolism and help you increase you energy levels and release excess weight – and keep it off.

I will coach you through a process that has worked for me and my clients.

If you’re interested in learning more about working with me, schedule a FREE 20 minute Health Strategy Session now – email me  sue@suehardman.com

Benefits of probiotics