Welcome ...

I would like to welcome two new little ones into this world! After successful fertility treatment, two proud mums have birth to baby girls - lovely C. was born in September and lovely J. in October! I love my job :)

Magnesium Can Help Migraine Sufferers

Migraine can have many causes, but in most cases the magnesium level in the blood of migraine sufferers is far lower than normal, as was found out by researchers at the Medical University in Tabriz/Iran. The magnesium deficiency triggers a constriction of blood vessels in the brain. This constriction increases the sensibility of nerve cells to chemical messengers such as serotonin, thus triggering the migraine attacks.
Foods such as whole grains, green leafy vegetables, legumes and pulses as well as fish are good sources for magnesium.
The recommended daily intake for an adult is around 400 mg.

"Oil Swishing" is good for the gums ...

In Indian Ayurveda, oil swishing, i.e. rinsing the mouth with cold-pressed oils, is used to treat a variety of ailments. Wikipedia describes it as follows: "Oil pulling or oil swishing is a traditional Indian folk remedy that involves swishing oil in the mouth. It is mentioned in the Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita where it is called Kavala Gandoosha or Kavala Graha. Ayurvedic literature describes oil pulling as capable of both improving oral health and treating systemic diseases such as diabetes mellitus or asthma. While scientific evidence is lacking to support any systemic benefits of oil pulling, some studies have suggested that it may reduce oral plaque, halitosis (bad breath) and gingivitis (inflammation of the gum tissue)."
Whereas the treatment of diabetes mellitus or asthma needs to be investigated further, the German Green Cross recommends to treat bleeding gums by slowly swishing 1-2 tablespoons of cold-pressed sunflower oil  around in your mouth for 15 minutes. After that, spit out the oil, rinse your mouth with warm water and then brush your teeth as usual. It is best to do this procedure regularly in the mornings, before breakfast. Doing the whole thing again in the evening, before bedtime, increases the benefits of the treatment. You will notice an improvement of your gum health after 1 to 2 weeks already.

Why Iron Is So Important For Our Wellbeing

The red blood cells store around 66 per cent of our body's own iron supply. Without iron, the red blood cells cannot transport oxygen which is so essential for our wellbeing.
A litre of blood contains 500 mg iron. An iron deficiency can show itself through a multitude of symptoms - depending on the severity of the deficiency.
A slight lack of iron can interfere with the production of blood. The most common symptom is anaemia which shows itself with physical and mental exhaustion (problems with concentration, learning disorders). Other signs can be tiredness and fatigue, listlessness, depression, weak circulation and muscle weakness.
The next step (which is also measurable by lab tests) can manifest itself in problems with nails and teeth (malformation etc), hair loss, but also mouth ulcers and other diseases of the oral mucosa, weak immune system; pale, dry and cracked skin, brittle nails and itchy skin. Restless Leg Syndrome might also be a possible symptom.
Children show a lack of appetite, impaired growth and a weak immune defense against infections. A lack of iron can be the cause of itchy skin.
Severe lack of iron can cause soreness of the corners of the mouth, difficulties with swallowing, burning tongue, brittle hair and nails; the tongue and the mucous membranes in the mouth and the intestines cannot absorb nutrients properly. Young children with a severe iron deficiency show unusual behaviour such as eating soil or ice cubes.
Our daily intake of iron should be 10 mg for men and 15 mg for women. During pregnancy, the daily dosage should be 30 mg, and mothers who breastfeed need 20 mg.
Women lose about 12 mg during the days of menstruation which explains an increased demand of iron.
Patients who cannot absorb iron from food properly have an increased demand, among them are people who have a low level of stomach acid or suffer from frequent bleeding in the digestive system, i.e. stomach ulcers, Colitis Ulcerosa or Morbus Crohn (Crohn's disease). Infections, suffering from tumors, after an operation or the consumption of antibiotics or antacids (meds for heart burn etc) can cause an iron deficiency, as well.

Another Reason to Kick the Habit

Smoking is bad for the prostate gland. In the USA, a long-term study was carried out with 5400 employees of the public health sector over a period of 22 years. During the time of the study, 1630 of the researched persons died, a third of them from prostate cancer. Men who smoked carried a higher risk to die from prostate cancer or to suffer a relapse by 61 per cent, the magazine "Medical Tribune" reports. Very heavy smokers had an even higher risk of dying from prostate cancer by 82 per cent.
There are ways to help you stop smoking - hypnotherapy and acupuncture have proven helpful in most cases.
I offer a free assessment and info session if you would like to discuss treatment options. Please contact groveclinicoxon@gmail.com for an appointment.

There is always a way out ...

I found this lovely poem on the internet and would like to share it with you.

"There is always a way out:
Sometimes you have to end something
to be able to start something new.
Sometimes you have to demolish something
to be able to build something new.

Sometimes you have to let go of something
to receive something new.
There is always a way.
I can't, I don't want to.
I can't carry on like this.
It is possible, I can, I want to -
because I have tried.

(Udo Hahn)

Do you feel stuck?

Times are hard for many of us. We may have lost faith in our lives and feel that life has given us a load too heavy for us to carry. There are certain techniques, like Emotional Freedom Technique or Psychological Kinesiology which can help us getting out of the fog and to see the light at the end of the tunnel again. I am planning to do a workshop for a group of people in my premises in Grove nr. Wantage in Oxfordshire, sometime this autumn. If you are interested, please let me know and we try to get a group together.
Please contact me at contact@monikabecker.co.uk