Holistic healing

What’s the Alternative?

Find out how sounds can heal and what you can do to lower your cholesterol the holistic way

To the point

Even though acupuncture is centuries old and even a part of the modern health care system in China, there are sceptics who still think that the pain relief experienced is a placebo. If you need more convincing of the benefits, or vindication for forking out for the therapy, you may be interested to hear that scientists from the University Hospital in Essen, Germany, have proved it can reduce pain. Eighteen volunteers received two electric shocks; after the second shock needles were placed between the toes, below the knee and near the thumb. After the second shock, the brain scan results showed less activity in the areas of pain perception when under acupuncture.

Q&A

Ask the doc!

Q. I have really high cholesterol. Can you suggest any supplements or lifestyle choices that I can try to reduce the levels?

A. Cholesterol is often seen as the enemy but it plays a very important and vital role in the normal physiology of the body. It is produced in the liver, and transported into the blood stream by lipoproteins, which are either very low density (VLDL) or low density (LDL). Returning back to the liver, it is transported by high density lipoproteins (HDL). The increase of the first two is associated with the risk of atherosclerosis, the main cause of heart attack and stroke. The increase of HDL reduces the potential of these problems.

The first action is to change your diet. Choose low or fat-free dairy, cut out red meat and reduce the amount of eggs you eat. Then introduce or increase the intake of soluble fibres such as oatmeal, kidney beans, apples, prunes and bananas. Also include foods rich in vitamin B3 or niacin (yeast flakes, wild or brown rice and peanuts). Lecithin granules, added to the cereals is also another tool to help reduce cholesterol. In my experience, addressing the diet to lower cholesterol is often not enough, if not accompanied by an increase in physical exercise and reduction of stress, negative attitudes and emotions which will affect the liver negatively. I have found that a blend of herbal extracts, including dandelion, burdock, artichoke and turmeric will help to detox the liver and hopefully lower your cholesterol.

Dr Mariano Spiezia is a medical doctor, herbalist and homeopath. He is the co-founder and formulator of Inlight Organics http://www.inlight-online.co.uk

CELEB CLINIC

The party girl turned holistic enthusiast, Sadie Frost, recently claimed her youthful looks are down to a daily green juice containing kale, avocados and pineapple. Plus, she also attends a weekly yoga class and power plate sessions. We salute you Sadie!

THE INSIDER with Terry Cullen

There are two different types of people who use (and benefit from) complementary medicine and, more importantly, decide on a therapist to deal with their health issues. The first is the person who follows the recommendation of someone they know who has already benefited from a particular therapist. The other is the person who finds a therapist from organisations such as The British Complementary Medicine Association (BCMA) or by looking for advertisements. These days there is also the added complication of the government backed Voluntary Self Regulated (VSR) therapist who, allegedly, offers more protection to the public. I guess when deciding who to choose, the right answer should be to look into the facts and make your own mind up, but to save you time and trouble I will give you my opinion.

If you look at the standards of training insisted on by associations your chosen practitioner belongs to and compare that with the requirements of the VSR body you see the associations almost certainly have equivalent, or often more stringent requirements than the regulator. However, this does not mean there are no suspect practitioners. If, for example, a reflexology training course takes a year to complete and you are offered this same treatment by a person who did a weekend course at a local college, then, well, what do you think you should do?

Sneeze away

Ever suspected you’re allergic to something but can’t quite figure out what it is that starts the wheezing and feelings of lethargy? An allergy and intolerance test from Avenue House Therapies could solve your problem. Costing £55, including postage and packing, all you need to do is send off a sample of your hair. Then, over 300 food and household items are tested for, to determine possible allergens. The results are then posted back with a detox plan specifically designed to your needs. For more information call 07815 447 664 or email avenuehousetherapies@live.co.uk

Therapy of the month: Allen Carr’s Easyway

Some pretty big claims are made at the Allen Carr’s Easyway Stop Smoking Clinic: that you will find giving up smoking enjoyable is hard to believe and, in my experience, it wasn’t completely true. However, what the four-hour talk (with cigarette breaks – don’t panic!) did do successfully was concentrate on the reasons why we should smoke, as opposed to the reasons why we shouldn’t. We all know the reasons not to smoke but we still do it anyway. So, through psychotherapy and hypnotherapy the seminar demonstrated that is it is fear which keeps people hooked, not the physical addiction itself. Fear you will never be free from cravings and that you will be giving up a crutch. The therapist was full of examples which exposed and dispelled this psychological dependence. One analogy I particularly liked is wearing shoes that are too tight all evening. By the end of the night, your feet are aching. You are so relieved to take off those shoes and your feet feel really good. However, if you had not put those shoes on in the first place, you would not have sore feet. In the same manner, smoking does not relax or calm you down – smoking merely relieves the situation that it created in the first place – the need for nicotine. The therapist did not deny the reality of physical addiction, he just claimed it’s not as bad as you think. An excellent tip he gave is to name your addiction after someone you disliked at school. I found separating myself from my craving really helpful.

Tester: Hannah Tudor

Sessions cost: £220 but readers can receive £50 off their booking when they mention this publication. To book a session, visit allencarr.com or call 0800 389 2115 and make sure you quote Natural Health.

What a blast

People with diabetes and a lowered immune system have a higher risk of developing chronic wounds, which take longer than normal to heal and can even lead to amputation. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic are looking into a natural alternative – an ultrasound device which uses sound waves to speed up the healing process. These waves will help the connective tissue heal by warming the muscle which is thought to be effective.“Pilates sessions can help to focus your attention and enhance the body and mind connection”