HEALTH HUB Latest Articles
Osteoporosis – what you must know
Osteoporosis – what you must know By Dr Sandra Cabot The bone thinning disease of osteoporosis is becoming more common. We can take effective steps to increase and maintain bone strength. You can increase your bone density to safe levels with the right tools. Osteoporosis is a silent disease in that it is often not diagnosed until there has been a bone fracture and it is then harder to repair the bone damage. It is obviously better to prevent osteoporosis, and this is why it is important to check your bone density with a DEXA test at middle age [...]
Integrative Medicine
Integrative Medicine By Dr Sandra Cabot What is it? Integrative medicine is a combination and synthesis of conventional medicine (for example drugs, surgery, and modern diagnostics) with natural medicines and lifestyle modification. Integrative medicine is not the same as alternative medicine because in many cases drugs and/or surgery are best used in combination with naturopathic medicine. Integrative medicine is a combination of conventional medicine and naturopathic medicine and works out a designer program to best suit the individual patient. Integrative medicine looks at the patient as a whole and not as one disease. It looks at how a disease [...]
Fatty liver may be caused by your gut
Fatty liver may be caused by your gut By naturopath Margaret Jasinska When a person is diagnosed with a fatty liver, it is important to figure out what caused it. A healthy liver is supposed to be almost entirely free of fat. If you’ve ever eaten lamb or beef liver, you would have noticed. If excess fat is present inside the liver, it is because the liver cells have been injured in some way. The culprit is often an intestinal problem. Blood from the intestines flows directly to the liver. An overgrowth of the wrong bugs, or an [...]
Is leptin resistance stopping you from losing weight?
Is leptin resistance stopping you from losing weight? By naturopath Margaret Jasinska Leptin is a hormone made by your fat cells that tells your brain when you have enough body fat. This is supposed to prevent overeating and help you maintain a healthy body weight. Leptin resistance is a condition where the brain no longer responds to this signal, which may contribute to obesity. Weight gain and loss is about much more than calories, exercise and willpower. Leptin is a hormone with a powerful effect on appetite and weight loss. In fact, leptin resistance is now believed to [...]
Depression can be caused by a thyroid problem
Depression can be caused by a thyroid problem By naturopath Margaret Jasinska Depression is an increasingly common health problem that is thought to affect one in five Australians. Women experience depression around twice as often as men. This is thought to be due to the effects of female hormones. There are a number of hormonal factors that predispose women to depression, including menstrual cycle changes, pregnancy and the postpartum period, as well as menopause. Sometimes an undiagnosed thyroid condition can cause depression. According to the Thyroid Society, approximately ten to 15 percent of people with depression have an [...]
I can’t lose weight and I don’t know why
I can't lose weight and I don't know why It’s a grim statistic: Most people who go on a diet and lose weight end up regaining that weight within a year. Why does this happen? There are many reasons why people fail to lose their excess weight with the most common being – Stress gets in the way They lose their focus They lack self belief – whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right To overcome these obstacles you need to get the right support and tools from the [...]
Sugar is probably affecting your mood
Sugar is probably affecting your mood By naturopath Margaret Jasinska If your mood has recently been low, have you considered that sugar may be responsible? Most people tend to blame external influences such as stress, life circumstances and the weather. If you’ve recently been eating more sugar than your body can tolerate, this might be the culprit. Sugar can adversely affect neurotransmitter levels, gut health and insulin resistance. It does this by raising inflammation in the body. High sugar diets are associated with depression and anxiety and this may be more likely to occur in men. A recent [...]
Stress can harm your brain and impair your memory
Stress can harm your brain and impair your memory By naturopath Margaret Jasinska Many of our patients complain about having a poor memory. Being young and forgetful doesn’t bother most people, but in older individuals it’s typical to start worrying if a poor memory is a dementia warning sign. Several different factors have the ability to compromise your memory; recent research has uncovered another one. Having high blood levels of cortisol can impair your memory. This is according to research published in the Journal of Neuroscience. Cortisol is a well-known stress hormone. It is made by the adrenal [...]
SIBO raises the risk of gallbladder polyps
SIBO raises the risk of gallbladder polyps Gallbladder polyps are quite common. They usually do not cause any symptoms and are generally discovered incidentally during an upper abdominal ultrasound. Fortunately, approximately 95 percent of gallbladder polyps are benign, meaning they are not cancerous. There is potential for them to become cancerous in the future, so it’s best to be monitored and try your best to improve your health. New research has shown that people with Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) are more likely to develop gallbladder polyps; particularly women. Research conducted at the Department of Gastroenterology, School of [...]
These tips will speed up your metabolic rate
These tips will speed up your metabolic rate By naturopath Margaret Jasinska There are a lot of overweight people who do not over eat. They eat a smaller volume of food, and eat less frequently than many others who don’t struggle with their weight. The problem is they have a faulty metabolism. Their body is very inefficient at burning up calories. There are several factors that can contribute to this metabolic problem; insulin resistance, poor liver and thyroid health are the main ones. This article will give you some handy tips for improving the rate at which your [...]