The Magic Potion in Weight Loss

There is a substance that many take for granted that is considered the magic potion in weight loss. It also reduces fluid retention, flushes toxins from the system and give you energy. What is it?.........Water
Good old forgotten H2O. Learn how important it is in your Wellbeing and how it can help in your weight loss goal.

Proper Hydration
Water is an essential and the major component of all living matter, and the largest single component of our bodies. Water is the one substance (other than oxygen) that we must absolutely have if we are to survive.

An adult can live several weeks without food, but no more than about 10 days without water

Do you have these signs of dehydration?
1. Dry, pasty feeling in your mouth, or dry lips.
2. Dark-coloured, pungent urine.
3. Dry skin.
4. Hard stool, constipation or other elimination problems.
5. Low energy and weakness.
6. Water retention.

The most obvious way to hydrate is through drink water (filtered if possible), pure/nothing added save a dash of lemon juice. Not tea/coffee/soft drink/alcohol which are all in fact dehydrating.

How much is enough? 1

The a person of around 50 kilo (130 lb) who is not hot/physically active/in a drying environment needs around 2 litres or 8 glasses of water per day. Increasing up to 50% more if you’re working hard outdoors are sick etc. Your body weight determines your hydration requirements. How far are you from your target of a minimum of 2 litres of water per day...every day?

Although most of us take it for granted, water may be the only true “magic potion” for permanent weight loss

Water naturally suppresses the appetite and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits.

Drinking enough water is the best treatment for fluid retention. When the body gets less water, it perceives this as a threat to survival and begins to hold on to every drop. Water is stored in extracellular spaces (outside the cells). This shows up as swollen feet, legs, and hands.

The overweight person needs more water than the thin one. Larger people have larger metabolic loads. Since we know that water is the key to fat metabolism, it follows that the overweight person needs more water.

Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone by giving muscles their natural ability to contract and by preventing dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging skin that usually follows weight loss. Shrinking cells are buoyed by water, which plumps the skin and leaves it clear, healthy, and resilient.

Water helps rid the body of waste. During weight loss, the body has a lot more waste to get rid of – all the metabolized fat must be shed. Again, adequate water helps flush out the waste.

Water can help relieve constipation. When the body gets too little water, it siphons what it needs from internal sources. The colon is one primary source. Result? Constipation. But when a person drinks enough water, normal bowel function usually returns.

Get a 2 litre water bottle and take it with you everywhere at work/play and sip it throughout the day.

That’s today’s challenge, seems like such a simple one, it’s free (unless you buy bottled water) and you can do it almost anywhere. It is also essential if you want to feel energized, focused, loose excess kilos, and rid the body of toxic waste.

See if you can get your water consumption to or above the minimum 2 litres per day in the next week, and make it a normal part of your day.

why not sign up for our 10 day challenge- Give yourself these 10 gifts and live with The Power. Vitality, Energy & The Joy of Your Body Being "Fully Alive" http://www.thehealthnut.com.au

Good luck and have another sip of water

Katherine Sabathie BHSc ND
Naturopath ~ holistic health coach
http://www.thehealthnut.com.au

p.s. You will notice you pee more, think of it as peeing your way to health...it’s a good thing! What’s more it will settle in a few days if you persist.

1 Please consult a physician before making any changes to your dietary intake if you have any health conditions that prevent you from drinking or handling an increased volume of liquids (e.g., kidney failure, urinary tract infection, prostate problems).

Dyspraxia the Hidden Disability

Dyspraxia The Hidden Disability

The varying degrees of severity with hidden disabilities make them difficult to detect yet there will be tell-tale signs, such as learning difficulties and social behaviour problems. These are becoming more recognized in children and young adults, and it has been suggested that up to 20% of the population may be affected to some degree. ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia all come into the category of these hidden disabilities.

Today I will focus on Dyspraxia.

The cause of dyspraxia is not known, yet there appears to be a link between immature neurons in the motor cortex and dyspraxia. There is also an inherent link as it runs in families. It has been associated with developmental delays, learning problems and reading difficulties.

What Is Dyspraxia?

Dyspraxia is a neurologically based developmental disability which is present from birth
Dyspraxia is a motor planning disorder, not a muscular deficit. A child knows what they want their body to do but can't get their body to do it.
There are three (3) types of Developmental Dyspraxia - Oral, Verbal and Motor.
A child with Dyspraxia can have one or a combination of all three types of Dyspraxia and in varying degrees of severity
Dyspraxia is a hidden handicap. Children with this disability appear the same as any other child. It is only when a skill is performed that the disability is noticeable.
Dyspraxia is believed to be an immaturity of parts of the motor cortex (area of the brain) that prevents messages from being properly transmitted to the body.

Dyspraxia affects up to 10% of the population with approximately 70% of those affected being boys.

• 
  Dyspraxia does not impact on intelligence, children with Dyspraxia have average or above average intelligence
• Dyspraxia can impact on behaviour and social skills
• Dyspraxia is a specific learning disability

3 Types of Dyspraxia

1. 
   Oral Dyspraxia - Oral dyspraxia is a difficulty with planning and executing non-speech sounds, such as blowing, sucking or individual tongue/lip movements. This may indirectly affect speech and/or swallowing skills. A child with Oral Dyspraxia may dribble profusely, have difficulty licking an ice-cream and may have a preference for either soft or hard textured foods.
2. Verbal Dyspraxia - Verbal Dyspraxia is a speech disorder that affects the programming, sequencing and initiating of movements required to make speech sounds.
   Children with Verbal Dyspraxia may:
   Display highly unintelligible speech
   Simplify words eg. “bur“ for “burger
   Have inconsistent speech patterns
   Move sounds in a word eg. “tobe“ for “boat“
   Exhibit “lost“ or searching movements of the tongue and lips as they endeavour to find the position to make a sound
   Have delayed expressive language
   Adopt a complex gesture system to aid communication skills
   Have difficulty with sequencing words, and sounds in words eg. “Pataka“
3. Motor Dyspraxia - Motor Dyspraxia is a difficulty in planning, sequencing and then executing the correct movement to perform age appropriate skills in a smooth and coordinated manner at will or on command.
   Children with Motor Dyspraxia may have difficulty with:
   Learning a new skill
   Coordinated movement
   Handwriting
   Consistent performance
   Age appropriate skills
   Generalising learnt skills
   Timing and rhythm
   Learning rules
   Responding quickly
   Spatial organisation
   Problem solving
   Using appropriate cues
   Analysing what is needed for task performance
   Preparing for the next stage in task performance

Developmental dyspraxia, is not considered a medical condition, but it may be due to immature neuron development. It is a life-long condition that is more common in males than females. The concept of developmental dyspraxia has existed for more than a century, but differing interpretation of terminology remains. Current estimates range from 5% - 20% with 2% affected severely.

Therapies for Dyspraxia

Speech pathology is one of the therapies for dyspraxia. Speech pathologists may choose to follow a motor skill training approach which gets people to practice making sounds quickly and accurately, making it easier to put these in normal speech. People with dyspraxia may also need practice with listening, in order to ensure that they are not leaving sounds out when speaking.

Occupational therapy is another therapy for dyspraxia. It helps people to improve physical skills and fine motor tasks. Physical therapists can also be of help. Early intervention is important.

Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) was originally created in 1975 by Richard Bandler and John Grinder, but since that time, many others have contributed towards its growth and development. There are several descriptions of what NLP actually is, but they all agree that Modelling is a core component, that opens a window into ascertaining how people function.It explores the relationship between how one thinks (neuro) and communicates both verbally and non verbally (linguistic), and patterns of behaviour and emotion (programmes). NLP is a behaviour technique that teaches people how to change or adopt new behaviours as required and to choose mental and physical states of wellbeing. In effect, it is about knowing what is going on inside oneself and others.

Neuro Developmental Therapy (NDT) addresses the shortcomings of the vestibular system by encouraging the development of mature reflexes while the Tomatis Method of sound therapy uses specially modified music designed to stimulate the cochlear and vestibular systems and strengthen neural connections from the auditory system to the brain. The theory for using NDT along with the Tomatis Method draws on the assumption that all types of dyspraxia stem from the same source. Instead of treating each area of impaired functioning as unrelated, the Tomatis Methods aims to strengthen the structure of the inner ear while the NDT exercises revisit motor development as it ideally should have been experienced.

Naturopathic Medicine, or Naturopathy, is a practice of preventing, assessing and treating conditions of the human mind and body. By integrating conventional health sciences with a range of natural therapies and traditional medicines, naturopathy treats the patient's mental, emotional and physical states for a lasting effect.
The foundation of Naturopathy is the philosophy of the "healing power of nature". This means that the body has its own healing energy within and with the help of naturopathic treatment, the body can repair itself and recover from illness if it is in a healthy and supportive environment.
The Role of the Naturopath
A Naturopath aims to educate, empower and motivate the patient to assume more personal responsibility for his or her health by adopting a healthy attitude, lifestyle and diet. They do not simply treat the manifestation of a disease and its effects but rather search for the cause and treat it, rather than the effect. Prevention of disease is accomplished through naturopathic education which builds a lifestyle that supports health and wellbeing.
Benefits of Naturopathy
A Naturopath is trained to employ safe and effective natural therapies that will support and stimulate the healing power of nature in the gentlest, least invasive and most efficient manner possible. Naturopaths use a range of methods to assist in the healing process including Herbal Medicine (in this case to support the central nervous system and brain) nutrition – diet and lifestyle recommendations, vitamins and minerals, flower essences, homeopathy, hair, tongue, and nail analysis, Iridology and massage.

Naturopathic Treatments for Dyspraxia include herbal combinations that support the brain and central nervous system, nutritional guidelines to reduce ‘problem’ foods, supplements that have shown to be beneficial are recommended. Flower essences carefully chosen to support the emotional wellbeing of the individual.

visit http://www.thehealthnut.com.au to get more information on Naturopathy, Health & Well-being programs

When Stress Affects Your health

Researchers agree that emotional stress has a dramatic effect on your immune system, making you more prone to disease and disorders.
Women are particularly susceptible to stress which in part is linked to hormonal changes. During puberty, menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause your hormone levels fluctuate consistently (or inconsistently) and cause stress.
It has been clearly shown that emotional stress is a major role in triggering and worsening, depression, cardiovascular disease, some (e.g. viral) cancers and infectious disease.
Stress boost production of natural anti-inflammatory compounds (glucocorticoids) which inhibit the synthesis of fats in the skin and decrease the secretion of antimicrobial peptides, which initiates dermatological conditions such as itchy skin and rashes.
Often people feel the effects of stress as fatigue, various aches and pains, headache, or as emotional disorders such as anxiety, depression and sleep disturbances. Gastrointestinal disorders such as colitis and irritable bowel syndrome also show clear signs of being linked directly to emotional stress.
Lowered immune system response lead to more frequent colds and infections as well as being linked to exacerbating of the symptoms of Chronic Fatigue and fibromyalgia (which many people believe are the same illness).
What is happening?
To understand this cycle a little more we need to visit the cells. Every cell contains a tiny clock called a telomere, which shortens each time the cell divides. Short telomeres have been linked to diseases such as HIV, osteoporosis, heart disease and aging. The telomerase enzyme within each cell keeps immune cells young by preserving their telomere length, and their ability to keep dividing. People with chronic stress have shortened telomere length.
The stress hormone cortisol suppresses immune cells’ ability to activate telomerase. Under stress the adrenals boost production of cortisol to support its flight or fight response.
Short term stress actually improves the immune system (a good exercise workout may be one example of this) in preparation for body injuries or infections. BUT long-term stress or chronic stress breaks the system down. When the stress hormones are preparing for battle, the energy is drawn from the immune system, and white blood cell production is temporarily suppressed.
The Good News is
People under stress who know how to deal with it emotionally actually have more immunity than people who have low stress levels but poor coping skills.
Developing your coping skills, changing your response, removing the stressor, and exploring how you cope with your stress and how you can adjust for healthier outcomes are just some of the methods successfully used to improve stress and health.

Katherine Sabathie BHSc. ND. LC
Naturopath Well-being Coach

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