Blog Archives

Maintaining a Healthy Digestive System

28/3/2017

Because we get all of our nutrients from our food and these nutrients are absorbed through our digestive tract, it is extremely important that we maintain a healthy digestive system! There is a common misconception that one strain of probiotic may be as effective as another in obtaining desired clinical outcomes. However, one strain behaves very different in the human body than another. In this blog entry I will be discussing the various types of probiotics that Metagenics has to offer and what results each type has been shown achieve.

When prescribing probiotics be sure that your healthcare professional is prescribing for a purpose, not just to make money! Whether it is due to poor diet, stress and lifestyle or medications (including oral contraceptives and antibiotics), it is important to ensure that the good bacteria in the gut is replenished to maintain a fully functioning digestive tract. Studies have shown that antibiotics continue to have a negative impact on the numbers and diversity of gut flora up to FOUR years after just a one week course. A probiotic such as Ultra Flora Restore would be most appropriate to restore healthy levels of gut bacteria.

The following strains have been shown to or may:

Ultra Flora Immune Enhance
- Enhance healthy immune system functioning
- Reduce the duration and severity of colds
- Maintain healthy gastrointestinal immune function and support beneficial intestinal bacterial adherence

Ultra Flora Immune Control
- Maintain healthy immune system regulation
- Reduce occurrence of, allergy symptoms
- Decrease occurrence of eczema in infants and children

Ultra Flora LGG
- Reduce the incidence of eczema and food allergies in infants (when taken by mom in 3rd trimester and first 18 months of breastfeeding)
- Reduce frequency of diarrhea

Ultra Flora Restore
- Assist in restoration of healthy gut flora
- Ideal for use during and after ANTIBIOTIC therapy

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Ultra Flora Dysbiosis
- Assist with the management of dysbiosis (is a term for a microbial imbalance)
- Relieve and reduce the frequency of diarrhea
- Reduce the risk of TRAVELLER'S DIARRHEA

Probex
- Assist with the management o medically diagnosed IBS
- Relieve bloating, intestinal pain and inflammation

Ultra Flora Digest
- Support healthy digestive function and beneficial gut bacteria
- Support healthy immunity
- A great tasting, rapidly dispensible source of fibre

After selecting and prescribing the correct probiotics, the gut needs to have a healthy terrain and the ingested probiotics need sufficient fuel. Providing sufficient fuel for the good bacteria to thrive can be ensured by recommending a diet with adequate fibre and prebiotics or by recommending a proven prebiotics such as Ultra Flora Digest.

Chiropractic Care & Migraine

1/3/2017

SYMPTOMS

The International Headache Society classifies a headache as a migraine when:
(a) the pain can be classified by at least two of the following:

one sided
moderate to severe
throbbing
aggravated by movement

(b) there is at least one of the following associated symptoms:

nausea
vomiting
photophobia (sensitivity to light)
phonophobia (sensitivity to noise)
aura (visual disturbances such as bright zigzag lines, flashing lights, difficulty in focusing or blind spots lasting 20-45 minutes)

TRIGGERS

Triggers are many and varied, not the same for everyone and not necessarily the same for different attacks in the same person. Identifying triggers may be complicated by the fact that it often takes a combination of triggers to set off a headache.

Dietary Triggers

missed, delayed or inadequate meals
caffeine (coffee and tea) withdrawal
certain wines, beers and spirits
chocolate, citrus fruits, aged cheeses and cultured products
monosodium glutamate (MSG)
dehydration

Environmental Triggers

bright or flickering lights, bright sunlight
strong smells, e.g. perfume, gasoline, chemicals, smoke-filled rooms, various food odours
travel, travel-related stress, high altitude, flying
weather changes, changes in barometric pressure (likewise, decompression after deep-sea diving)
loud sounds
going to the movies
computers (overuse, incorrect use)

Hormonal Triggers

Hormonal fluctuations are implicated as a significant trigger for women as three times as many women suffer from migraine headaches as men, this difference being most apparent during the reproductive years.

Hormonal triggers may be:

Climacteric (final menstrual period)
Menstruation (a UK study found 50% of women more likely to have migraine around menstruation)
Ovulation
Oral contraceptives
Pregnancy (may worsen for first few months but in two thirds of women improves in latter part)
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
Menopause

Physical and Emotional Triggers

lack of sleep or oversleeping(even as little as half hour difference in routine, e.g. sleeping in on weekends)
illness such as a viral infection or a cold (if taken cold and migraine medication, remember that many cold remedies contain pain-killers)
back and neck pain, stiff and painful muscles, especially in scalp, jaw, neck, shoulders, and upper back
sudden, excessive or vigorous exercise (regular exercise can however prevent migraine, if migraine is triggered by a blow to the head a doctor should be consulted)
emotional triggers such as arguments, excitement, stress and muscle tension

Log Your Migraine Triggers with Migraine Buddy

http://www.migrainebuddy.com/frequently-asked-questions/

Your Chiropractor & Your Migraine

If you are unsure about the cause or nature of your headache, need assistance in managing your migraines or if the pattern of your headaches change, it is important you consult your chiropractor. Studies show that 50% of migraine sufferers have not been diagnosed. Even if you have previously consulted a doctor and the prescribed treatment has not been successful it is worth going again. Migraines can be managed, effective migraine management involves a partnership between you and your chiropractor.

Based on the theory that most diseases of the body are a result of a misalignment of the vertebral column with pressure on the adjacent nerves that may affect blood vessel and muscle function, chiropractic manual techniques purport to adjust the misalignment. Thus, providing relief from migraine headaches!

Remedial Massage Therapy can also reduce muscle tension throughout the body, thereby reducing headache.

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Supplements & Migraine Health

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Studies have shown no adverse effects associated with Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) therapy in any of the patients, and Co Q10 appears to be a good migraine preventative. The data suggests that coenzyme Q10 starts to work within 4 weeks of initiation of therapy, but usually takes 5 to 12 weeks to yield a greater than 50% reduction in days with migraine.