Celebratory Picnic

I’m planning a picnic for tomorrow and as the weather is a bit temperamental, I thought the menu needed to be more moveable than normal. I’ve already baked a new variation of flaxseed crackers (almond meal, cumin, coriander, tomato & flax seed) lending itself to a series of hors d’oeuvres.  Both fun and convenient.  The menu thus far is:-

Marinated olives; in organic olive oil, cumin coriander, basil, cloves, peppercorns in stored in the fridge in a glass jar.

Lemon hommus; chick peas, organic olive oil, lemon juice, tahini and fresh parsley served with flax bark crackers.

Mushroom pate; stock, cream, eggs, porcini & shiitake mushrooms and herbs.

Cauliflower cream tambales served with flax bark crackers.

Poached asparagus with tea pickled eggs with a dressing made from the pickled egg marinade.

Baby beetroot salad with walnuts, organic goat fetta (marinated) & mint

Green leaf salad of bitter greens (rocket, dandelion) with slow roasted tomatoes & capsicum.

Chocolate almond cake with strawberry coulees

This is a convenient ++ menu, as I’ve been very busy this week.  The olives came out of a jar from IGA.  I just strained out the brine and added the olive oil and herbs.  The hummus ingredients were also very convenient.  I used Eden organic tinned beans as they don’t use bis phenol (plastic) lining in their cans and thus avoiding the xeno oestrogens.  I simply opened and drained the garbanzo (chick peas) beans, put them in the blender with a few sprigs of parsley leaves, juice of a lemon, organic olive oil and a dessertspoon of tahini and blend.

The mushroom pate came from the freezer.  I made it for a dinner party a few months ago.  It does require a bit of effort to make the original, but we’ve been eating portions of continually.  The recipe is superb as part of any entree for a special event or dinner party.  The recipe make a significant amount (loaf tin) and it’s easily sliced up and frozen to impress unexpected visitors.

The chocolate almond cake is a healthier variation of Stephanie Alexanders chocolate almond cake.  This also successfully freezes, however it barely lasts long enough to freeze in our house.  I’ll serve this with Mr Body Guard’s strawberry coulee out of jar, from the fridge.  It’s basically strawberries reduced down with a little pectin.  If we’re lucky I’ll pick up a some organic cream to dob onto the chocolate cake and strawberry coulee!

Protect your DNA

Damaged DNA is associated with general illnesses and cancer and there is strong evidence that vitamins and minerals are required for DNA synthesis, which is constantly happening as our cells die and are replaced.

Nutrition plays a pivotal role in the function, repair, expression and ageing of our DNA.   A nutrient rich diet is required to help protect and care for our DNA, prevent oxidative damage to DNA and for the maintenance of DNA.  Nutrition can have a very positive effect in boosting our immunity and therefore limiting our susceptibility to infections. Various antioxidants and trace elements have important roles to play and we need to have the right balance of these compound in our diet.

Teenage Hearing Loss

This morning’s Australian newspaper reported on teen hearing loss being on the rise due to MP3 use.  The actual study states that there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that a small percent of portable media player users are at risk for noise -induced hearing loss from abusive use.  The study estimates that using a personal hearing device at high volume, for two to four hours per day, over a ten year period may cause hearing loss. In 2007 Dr William Clark from the National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), America outlined that hearing loss has not declined over the last 25 years and may have even improved in the high frequencies. Clark inferred that the media was not reporting  on all the evidence. Henry Osiecki (B.Sc.Hons. Grad. Dip. Nutr & Dietetics) believes that up to ten percent of teenagers have a partial hearing loss due to excessive exposure to noise and loud music.  However, although most professionals believe that noise induced hearing loss is the result of excessive vibration within the inner ear, Osiecki suggests that it may be due to free radical damage. Noise creates a surge of free radicals in the inner ear which then causes cellular damage in the ear.  The major antioxidant that quenches these free radicals is Glutathione.  Cysteine and vitamin B2 increases the levels of glutathione in the inner ear.  Together these nutrients can reduce permanent hearing loss due to loud noise. Coenzyme Q10 has also been found to reduce hearing loss that is due to high pitched sounds. The truth is that a teenagers hearing is fragile and should be protected.  Their hearing threshold does not shift until approximately 17 years of age and children under 5 years have hearing that is very fragile, easily damaged and still under development. In my clinical experience adult hearing difficulties are more commonly associated with nutritional deficiencies and neuronal blockages from high cholesterol and poor cerebral blood circulation (diet and nutritionally related). If you are experiencing difficulty understanding what people are saying, experiencing hissing or ringing in your ears etc the earlier you receive treatment the more likely you are to be able to make diet and lifestyle changes to slow the progress and possibly improve your hearing. The result of Dr Fligors’ study of 200 NY college students expressed concerns that habitual listening at high levels could turn microscopic hair cells in the inner ear into scar tissue.  This is definitely something that we should be concerned about.  If the villi are exposed to high volume for extended time, they may stop moving, or even lie down permanently (known as trauma), which may permanently damage hearing. If you are exposed to loud noise, you may want to include some diet and lifestyle habits that counter the negative affects and will support your hearing long term. How can you take care of your hearing?

1. Obtain an accurate diagnosis of your current hearing status and possible causes of any limitations.

• Conductive hearing loss may be due to wax build-up in the outer ear or a perforated eardrum or damage or defective ossicles.
• Sensory neural hearing loss  may be from the vibrations that stimulate the tiny hair cells .  The hair cells transform the vibration into nerve impulses to the brain.  The hair cells may have deteriorated, or the nerve pathways may not be operating and preventing the signal reaching the brain.

1. Maintain healthy ear wax production by regular ear candling (do not use if you have a perforated ear drum)
2. Drink adequate pure filtered water – up to 3 litres per day.
3. Consume a balanced unrefined, low carbohydrate, high plant based diet full of antioxidants to support peripheral circulation and reduce free radical damage.
4. Use anti inflammatory herbs infused into warm oil to protect the ear after excessive exposure – seek professional advice.
5. Drugs and antibiotics can cause damage to hair cells in the middle ear and auditory nerves, use with caution, or seek natural alternatives where possible.
6. Support your immune system with a healthy diet and lifestyle, and when necessary use herbal medicine to avoid or treat middle ear infection, allergies, head colds, inflamed tonsils, adenoids, blocked Eustachian tubes, sore throats and other viruses.
7. Supplement with B12, folate, calcium, Vitamin E, C, lipoic acid, acetyl-L-carnitine, Fish oil and CoQ10.
8. Children and babies should avoid exposure to high volume sound and wear protective headphones if exposure cannot be avoided.

I you are experiencing ringing, buzzing, or your hearing is compromised to some level, make an appointment with your natural health practitioner in order to have an individualized diet, lifestyle protocol designed to slow the progression, and treatment with herbal medicine to heal and improve your hearing. If you are a professional working in the music or sound production areas, I recommend seeking professional support from your natural health care provider in order to design a protocol that will support you in maintaining a high level of health and acuity around your hearing and protect your professional longevity.

My Body Guard

Welcome to the new health blog.

Here you will find a commentary about the latest health issues and natural health solutions that will help you live well longer.

I will explain evidenced based natural medicine solutions, recommend functional foods and provide you with deliciously healthy recipes, as well as a social commentary on current affairs & health.