Journal Category: Latest News

Our goal is to help you be and stay healthy, happy, balanced and energised – body, mind and spirit. We believe this will enable you to live the best quality life for the longest possible time – and we all want to get the most out of life – right?

For this reason we choose to treat you according to natural medicine principles. That means using the innate intelligence of your body to your own best advantage. All the systems of medicine at Fertile Ground Health Group see you as a whole – your body, emotions, stresses, environment and relationships all contribute to your overall health status. All of these factors influence the intricate systems by which your body keeps itself functioning and balanced. Sometimes, these systems need some support or enhancement to help restore their function or to repair damage that may have occurred through accident or lifestyle factors.

Natural medicine is often referred to as complimentary or allied health services. This is because almost all natural medicine modalities can be safely combined with Western medical treatment (when appropriate) to give you the best results. Whether you are under the care of your General Practitioner (GP) or a Specialist, your practitioner will communicate their treatment intentions when it is useful or necessary to ensure all of your carers are clear and confident with the medicines or treatments used.

We have chosen our specific modalities of complementary medicine for a number of reasons:

• They have been used successfully for hundreds (in some cases thousands) of years.
• They are geared toward wellness and preventative health rather than illness and treating problems only once established.
• They are used to enhance and support the natural mechanisms your body was born with (eg immunity), rather than suppressing systems in an effort to simply curb symptoms (eg habitual anti-histamine use).
• They are non-invasive, often relaxing and address you on all levels – mind body and spirit.
• From a natural medicine point of view we see and address the whole person in the context of their lives, not just a problem in one part of the body.

We have chosen a range of natural therapies that we feel will provide you with the best range of options to get your particular needs met. You may use one or several different therapies depending on your changing needs over time. See our website to learn more about the particular natural therapies we are able to offer you at the particular life stage you are at: www.fertileground.com.au.

We’ve seen quite a few cases of full blown hay fever this season. This changeable weather seems to really challenge our immune systems. Pollens, damp, drying winds one after the other. Seems like no matter what your trigger is this year everyone is copping it!

If you are suffering with hay fever, or any other lingering, annoying condition, it is a sign your body is out of balance in some way. Our bodies work as an intricate whole which is why we always like to treat what we see presenting in our patients. Your current issues, niggles, struggles, aches, pains and irritations do matter! Whether you are trying to conceive, already pregnant or not in either category, we do not recommend random acts of self-prescription or active acts of self-neglect. Your body is giving you signs and now is the time to seek help to get it back into balance.

Patients often ask us not to bother to treating their hay fever – just get on with improving fertility and they’ll keep taking the anti-histamines. The flaw in treating this way is that hay fever shows an underlying predisposition for immune dysregulation and possible gut problems which both potentially impact negatively on fertility. Not to mention that anti-histamines used regularly can affect thyroid function. If not absolutely necessary they are probably best not taken in pregnancy as research seems to suggest that more information on safety is needed.

Sometimes professional assistance is needed to understand your circumstances fully. This is where we come in. Chat with one of our naturopaths (we have some super strong anti-hay fever herbs we can recommend) or acupuncturists today. Call 9419 9988 for an appointment or a quick script (for acute issues only).

Our 10 top tips for overcoming your spring hay fever frustration this season:

1. Green Smoothies: anti-inflammatory, full of nutrients to support your immune system, and greens have a knock on effect in soothing the liver. Be careful not to include too much fruit and replace all your stimulant drinks with at least 500 mls of green smoothie plus lots of filtered water daily. For more on green smoothies, look here.
2. Include lots of natural anti-histamine foods in your diet. Foods rich in vitamin C and bioflavonoids such as parsley and green leafy veggies (another reason for your daily green smoothie), capsicum, sweet potato, tomatoes, citrus fruits and mangos. Some lemon juice in warm water is a perfect way to start your day.
3. Omega-3 fats have an anti-inflammatory action so give yourself regular meals of grilled salmon with broccoli and other vitamin C rich veggies. Plus a handful of walnuts a day to snack on.
4. A quality loose leaf organic Nettle tea infused overnight for a strong brew reduces allergic symptoms. Drink 2-3 cups a day. Our Spring Cleansing Detox Tea is also recommended, particularly if you’ve been burning the candle at both ends or overindulging of late.
5.  Pressure points: These acupressure points bring quick relief if your nose or sinus’ feel congested or irritated. You’ll know when you are pressing the right spot because it feels really good.
6. If the media say it’s going to be a high pollen count or windy then stay indoors as much as possible, and wash your face with cold water often.
7. Rub paw paw ointment inside each nostril before you go out. This will go some way to catching the pollen before it irritates the lining of your nose.
8. Alcohol can exacerbate symptoms so limit intake during the hay fever season.
9. Reducing or avoiding inflammatory foods such as gluten and sugar may also be helpful and avoid foods that you know cause bloating or digestive issues. This will help regulate your immune function.
10. Eating 1 tsp of raw local honey daily may help to reduce your sensitivity to pollens. (if you can find it – if you are in Melbourne – try Melbourne City Rooftop Honey. These guys are doing wonderful things for bees and local honey production)

Written by Gina Fox (FGHG Naturopath) & Milly Dabrowski (FGHG co-owner and Acupuncturist)

I have been busy over the last week with antenatal visits with new clients and post natal visits with clients who have just recently had their babies. Each of these meetings is special in their own way.

One of my antenatal visits this week was a Birth Plan meeting where I help a couple prepare an outline of their hopes and expectations for their care at hospital and for their birth. I love these meetings as they are so informative for everyone involved. For the couple they are exploring what they envisage for them to be their ideal birth. For me it is about building a relationship with them and getting to know them as individuals and as a couple. It also gives me an opportunity to play an educative role in highlighting issues they may not have considered and things they need to discuss so we can all be clear about what might be needed on the day.

The conversation goes far beyond what their ideal birth may look like – birth is a dynamic process and we can’t guarantee the outcome, we can only prepare ourselves for any scenario. Often the discussion encompasses birth choices and ideas that the couple hadn’t considered or even heard of. Whilst looking through some Birth Plan samples there are moments where the couples say, “Oh I hadn’t even thought of putting that in!” or “What exactly does that mean?”

While the conversation can be serious at times, talking about birth choices that need deep consideration there are also many moments of laughter about the lighter side of birth. One of my favourite moments occurs when a woman’s partner, usually a man, relaxes and engages with the process – realising that their chosen birth attendant is as invested in supporting him as his partner.

These Birth Plan meetings are one of at least two antenatal visits we do with clients as their Birth Attendant. Across these two meetings I use my training as a Birth Educator, my experience as a mother who has birthed two children (one in a private hospital and one at home) and as a woman who has a passion about birth, to help them feel as informed and confident as possible about their pending birth.

To me the most important thing for any couple is that they feel safe in the choices they are making, empowered with knowledge of how their chosen system works and what important considerations require their attention as part of their preparation. My experience has shown me that, as always, it is this early preparation, knowledge and empowerment that leads to satisfaction in birthing – no matter what the actual birth outcome.

I never take for granted when people choose me as their Birth Attendant or consult with me to help them plan or prepare for their birth. I always feel truly blessed to be invited into these intimate spaces. Each couple and each birth teach me something new – no two birth experiences are the same. They differ in how long they are, how they progress, how women approach the intensity and how I need to support the woman and her partner.

Upon arriving home one night after being at a birth all day, my 5 year old daughter said to me, “Mummy why did you take so long at the birth?” I told her that some births (particularly first births) sometimes take a long time. To this she replied, “Yeah, because the woman hasn’t done it before and she is just learning.” “Exactly” I said, “and that is why I am there to help them!”

Melanie Maycock
Birth Attendant/Birth Educator

Melanie Maycock also offers Birth Choices/Birth Planning Consultations at FGHG. You can contact our reception team if you require any further information about any of these services – telephone 9419 9988.

The Fertile Ground Health Group Birth Attending Team:
Melanie Maycock, Fiona Harrison, Kathryn Moloney, Nicole Tracy and Kerry Marshall (Nicole and Kerry are currently both on sabbatical caring for their own new borns.)

Not there yet?

Only 3 seminars left in 2013:
7pm Thursday 10th October 2013
7pm Thursday 14th November 2013
7pm Thursday 12th December 2013

Cost: $35 per person or $55 per couple
Bookings: phone FGHG on (03) 9419 9988 or book online.

I really dislike being sick and so usually do my best to avoid it. Though over the last month or so I let things slip. After a month of complete sugar abstinence, I fell off the wagon on Easter Sunday and have not looked back! I encountered two people in one week with sore throat-type colds and I didn’t take my usual precautions (mental declaration that I don’t get sick from other people, increase Echinacea and vitamin C). Coupled with some late nights and early mornings, a change in the weather and here I am with a throat like sandpaper and a nose running like a tap. Argh!

Anyway, my motto is that all crisis (no matter how small) leads to transformation so I figure this is my learning opportunity. No point learning alone, I thought I’d share the love with you.

Today I realised that this relatively mild cold is just a practice run for my immune system – warming up for a winter onslaught of cold, wind, bugs and bacteria. Over summer my immune system hasn’t had to do much. Warm weather suits me well and I don’t suffer hay fever so it’s been on low revs for a few months now. Our immune systems have evolved to be reactive – feeling a little hot and flushy, inflamed and runny right now are all signs of my immune system reacting to an invader. It’s a good thing.

The best thing to do when your immune system needs to fire up this much is to get out of its way and let it do its job. Take even just one day off (no-one at the office wants your germs anyway) and rest quietly, doing all the traditional things like keeping up your (sugar free) fluids, taking your garlic, Echinacea, zinc, C and whatever else your naturopath recommends and just let your well supported immune system have its moment in the limelight.

Sleep, sweat, drink, eat plenty of ginger, keep warm, stay hydrated, rest a little more, eat light nutritious foods. These are the things that have been shown to reduce the severity and duration of the flu or a cold because it lets your immune system just do what it does best – macrophage (what a great word: literally meaning engulf the nasties).

If you have struggled with your immunity in the past or if you are a little more vulnerable this year (more stressed, dealing with existing health issues, pregnant, etc.) AUTUMN IS THE TIME to get working on your immune system so it is ship-shape for getting you through the winter.

Many people are getting flu injections and trusting that it holds the answers to their winter health blues. Sadly there will only be a few of the ‘most likely’ strains included in the flu vaccines so you can still get the flu even if vaccinated. It also will not prevent you from getting a range of other winter ills, in particular, an annoying cold like the one I have now! In my experience as a health practitioner it is those lingering coughs and repetitive cold cycles that can really zap your energy over winter.

Prepare now:

• If you have or get a sore throat, you must get this: PIC OF THROAT SPRAY. It tastes like hell but it really reduces the pain of a sore throat and also has strong anti-microbial action to have an impact where it is most needed. One spray lasted me almost all day.
• See your naturopath if you haven’t in a while and top up with remedies that will see you through the winter – preventative stuff for now (esp Echinacea and adequate zinc) and an acute treatment for if something crops up unexpectedly.
• Maintain your vitamin D – hopefully you’ve been getting outdoors enough this long warm summer to boost your vitamin D level? But this nutrient is low in so many individuals right now. Make sure you get 20 minutes outdoors every day with as much skin exposed as you can (tricky in a Melbourne winter!). Check with your naturopath to see if it is worthwhile getting tested to check your levels (recommended if pregnant or if struggling with ongoing immune issues).
• Even better, get your Vitamin D hit while getting some exercise. Regular exercise and a regular good sweat are essential to health and wellbeing. Exercise helps with stress management, weight control, physical fitness, sleep quality, and importantly, sweating is one of the mechanisms our body uses for detoxification.
• Remember Quick Scripts so when you feel the first signs of something developing, give us a call so we can make recommendations for a speedy recovery. Quick scrips cost $40 which is a great price for a quick acute action and remedy check.
• Be conscious of your sugar, alcohol and coffee intake. In different ways all of these adversely affect our immunity – by upsetting our blood sugars, directly impeding our immune system, dehydrating us and affecting sleep quality – all factors that can reduce and/or compromise your immunity.
• Aim to be asleep or at least in bed with lights off by 10pm. Eight hours of sleep is ESSENTIAL for almost everyone and certainly helps boost immunity. A very dark room helps to boost melatonin levels and as many hours as possible asleep before midnight have proven health benefits that I don’t have room to explain here.
• Rug up – protect the areas we refer to as Wind Pools in Chinese Medicine. The lower back and back of the neck are particularly susceptible to ‘cold wind invasion’ which can scatter protective Qi and leave us vulnerable to pathogenic invasion. Isn’t Chinese Medicine poetic? Anyway, it just means that nana was right: tuck in, wear a singlet and do not be seen without a scarf around your neck between April and November.
• Most importantly, remember that good health doesn’t mean you don’t ever get sick. It means when you get sick, you respond appropriately, recover quickly and reap the benefits of an immune system work out. Push through and ignore this opportunity and illness and a lack of good health is bound to follow. It all just mounts to looking after yourself, and it is actually not that difficult.

Thanks for the reminder immune system. Thanks for all the good work you are doing to look after my body and kick this invader right out of here. I am duly reprimanded and reminded to look after you better.

Health is very often about choices and there are many we can make to support our own wellness and greatness. Let us know if you need a little extra support in preparation for this winter.

Milly
with all at FGHG