Functional nutrition looks beyond intervening in the symptoms of health problems and addresses the ways in which diet can be used to help correct underlying imbalances in the body. In The Functional Nutrition Cookbook, Lorraine Nicolle and Christine Bailey address a range of different issues, including gastro-intestinal, immune system and hormone imbalances, explaining the intricacies of each problem and offering useful tips on how to truly make a difference through diet. As part of Nutrition & Hydration Week, we share an exclusive extract from the book on detoxification, full of useful tips and recipes to try. Continue reading
Mitochondria in Health and Disease
Ray Griffiths MBANT is a nutritional therapist and lecturer with an MSc in Personalized Nutrition. Ray lectures on a diverse range of subjects such as Parkinson’s disease, cancer, ageing and mitochondria. In his book, Mitochondria in Health and Disease, he explores the roles mitochondria play in human health, and how to optimize mitochondrial function through personalized nutrition. Here, he discusses the role mitochondria played in the process of evolution and what we understand about mitochondria today.
When we think of mitochondria, we usually limit our ideas of this microscopic organelle to their role as a producer of energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) – and what a magnificent job they do, but they are also involved in so many more roles beyond ATP synthesis!
To fully understand the vital part mighty mitochondria play in health and disease we have to journey back millions of years to see how these mitochondrial pioneers of evolution were once bacteria in their own right. Through a symbiotic union with another organism, mitochondria were at the heart of a quantum leap in evolution – cells powered by mitochondria were able to drive genetic creativity to produce the astounding array of animal, plant and fungi species we see all around us. Without mitochondria, none of this would be remotely possible! Continue reading
Meet the Singing Dragon Author: Ilkay Zihni Chirali
As part of our Meet The Singing Dragon Author series, we speak to authors to discuss their motivation for entering their respective industries, inspiration for writing their books, what challenges they faced and who they would recommend their books to. Is there a specific Singing Dragon author you would like to hear from? Let us know in the comments or join the conversation using #MeetTheSDAuthor.
Ilkay Zihni Chirali, author of Cupping Therapy for Bodyworkers
How did you become interested in cupping therapy? Were there any challenges in entering this field?
I would not be exaggerating if I said that I was born into the cupping therapy world! My grandmother, who at the time was living with us in Lemba in Cyprus, was a renowned midwife and herbalist. She would often use this technique to treat the expectant mothers for their various complaints, including colds and muscular aches and pains. It was my mother’s duty – and, much later, mine – to wash and clean up the cups after each use. Later on in 1982, when I studied traditional Chinese medicine in Melbourne, Australia, to my surprise I discovered that cupping therapy is also part of the traditional Chinese medicine treatment tools. Needless to say I was so familiar with the techniques that our professor, Dr Wang, asked if I could assist him during the sessions!
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Listen to Ray Griffiths on the Positive Health Podcast
Ray Griffiths, author of Mitochondria in Health and Disease, is interviewed by Benjamin Brown, ND on this episode of the Positive Health Podcast. The interview discusses the functions and characteristics of the mitochondria, their relevance to health, and the role of nutrition and lifestyle medicine in improving mitochondrial function.
Meet the Singing Dragon Author: Nicola Harvey
As part of our Meet The Singing Dragon Author series, we speak to authors to discuss their motivation for entering their respective industries, inspiration for writing their books, what challenges they faced and who they would recommend their books to. Is there a specific Singing Dragon author you would like to hear from? Let us know in the comments or join the conversation using #MeetTheSDAuthor.
Nicola Harvey, author of Mindful Little Yogis
How did you become interested in mindfulness for children? Were there any challenges in breaking into this field?
During my time as a special needs class teacher I was surprised at the social pressures and academic demands placed on children from as young as 4 years old to conform. I saw first-hand how this triggered anxieties and other mental states in children. With less public funding in place, many children have reduced access to the much-needed support they require in schools and communities so I decided to undertake additional training to integrate mindfulness, emotional resilience and coping strategies into my classroom routines. Over time, this helped my students gain better access to the curriculum, learn how to communicate their feelings, develop self-regulation tools and achieve mental clarity.
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What the Hell Just Happened?! – An Extract from Richy K. Chandler
Talking about his latest picture book, What the Hell Just Happened?!, Richy K. Chandler said the book came from “a place of needing to try to make sense of where I was in my life”, adding: “At the start of developing it, I was going through a difficult separation, with my life circumstances drastically changing, seemingly out of control. I sought the release and comfort of expressing myself through creativity.”
Scroll down to see an exclusive extract from What the Hell Just Happened?!, or click here to read the full story behind the creation of the book, as told by Richy himself.
Meet The Singing Dragon Author: Dr. Steffany Moonaz
As part of our Meet The Singing Dragon Author series, we speak to authors to discuss their motivation for entering their respective industries, inspiration for writing their books, what challenges they faced and who they would recommend their books to. Is there a specific Singing Dragon author you would like to hear from? Let us know in the comments or join the conversation using #MeetTheSDAuthor.
Dr. Steffany Moonaz, author of Yoga Therapy for Arthritis
How did you become interested in yoga therapy? Were there any challenges you faced in entering this industry?
I started working as a yoga therapist before I knew what yoga therapy was. After my 200-hour training, I was hired by Johns Hopkins University to help develop a yoga program for people with arthritis. My training was essentially safe, but largely inadequate to meet their needs, so we learned from each other. I brought the fullness of my yoga training and they brought the fullness of their arthritis, and together we figured out what worked, what was most helpful, what needed further adaptation. Since then, with additional training as both a yoga therapist and a scientist focusing exclusively on this population, I’ve come a long way. I’m proud to say that since learning about yoga therapy, I’ve been actively involved in the professionalization of the field and its representation in the broader movement of integrative health. There was so little work being done specifically in arthritis when I got my start, despite how prevalent it is. I was basically handed my dharma and have been following it ever since.
Meet The Singing Dragon Author: Lydia Bosson
As part of our Meet The Singing Dragon Author series, we speak to authors to discuss their motivation for entering their respective industries, inspiration for writing their books, what challenges they faced and who they would recommend their books to. Is there a specific Singing Dragon author you would like to hear from? Let us know in the comments or join the conversation using #MeetTheSDAuthor.
Lydia Bosson, author of Hydrosol Therapy
How did you become interested in aromatherapy?
I discovered aromatherapy about thirty years ago. A friend had given me an essential oil of lavender and one of neroli. As the effect of these two essences impressed me so much, I decided to deepen this knowledge. Subsequently, I tried many essential oils and hydrosols on myself and those around me. The rest is history – and fortunately, the collective spirit has opened up to alternative medicine in recent years. Continue reading
Yoga poses to help prepare the body for sleep
Yoga therapy offers a truly holistic approach to solving the growing problem of insomnia. In her new book, Yoga Therapy for Insomnia & Sleep Recovery, expert yoga therapist Lisa Sanfilippo explains how yoga practices can be used to target the underlying issues that inhibit good quality sleep, with immediate results that build over time.
Honouring a natural yogic and Ayurvedic approach, and infusing it with modern neuroscience, Lisa addresses the deeper emotional reasons for not sleeping well and looks at how lifestyle changes can help to achieve better quality rest. With the body-mind connection at its core, this book shows how to support better health holistically to restore balance in each layer of the body.
In the below video, Lisa demonstrates her favourite yoga poses from a sleep sequence to help you relax and prepare your body for sleep.
Denise Tiran: Making the decision to work for yourself
Denise Tiran is a midwife, lecturer, complementary practitioner and an international authority on maternity complementary medicine. In her new book, The Business of Maternity Care, she offers advice and guidance for midwives and doulas who want to establish a maternity-related business, offering services such as pregnancy complementary therapies, antenatal classes, lactation support or full doula care. Read an extract below in which Denise discusses why more people are looking to set up their own businesses in this field.
Midwives working in the NHS are increasingly disillusioned with the care they are able to provide for women (discussions with numerous midwives on courses, at conferences, by telephone and on social media). Many feel that the demands of midwifery practice today do not meet the ideals that caused them to enter the profession in the first place. The workload is phenomenal, with a risk-averse dependence on physio-pathological monitoring and the prevention or management of complications. Midwives have little time or energy to provide the psycho-emotional and social support that is so much a part of holistic maternity care. Continue reading