The Gut/Brain Connection - The Importance of Probiotics.

I believe getting in control of your gut bacteria is paramount to great health, when working with clients I find this regularly, the body is craving good bacteria to help fight off  ill health, anxiety, cravings and weakened immune systems. 
I picked up these little books the other day in my local health store and the information is fab, so I had to share some of it with you all..

How your bacteria will influence your mood and food choices.

The gut and brain are connected by the Vagus nerve, which works like a telephone line, sending masses of messages back and forth between the brain and the gut.  The bacteria in the gut are responsible for producing a number of important brain chemicals - including dopamine (important in feelings of motivation and reward) and GABA (which helps to keep us calm).

This means that low levels of good bacteria will lead to low mood and anxiety.  Indeed, studies have shown that supplementing with good bacteria can significantly improve mood and reduce anxiety levels.  This information is naturally important for individuals suffering with anxiety disorders, but is also significant for anyone trying to stick to a weight loss regime.

Increasing your good bacteria will help boost our motivation, and could also help to prevent comfort eating.

Increasing our good bacteria will also have an impact on food cravings! If the microbiome is over-populated with bacteria which feed on sugar or fat, these bacteria will send messages to the brain to eat those foods and provide reward signals for doing so.
The more diverse and healthy our microbiome is, the fewer food cravings we will have and the slimmer and healthier we will be.

Did you know? 
Up to 80% of the immune system is influenced by the gut.

A reduction in our good bacteria can lead to impaired immune response, increasing the number and severity of infections.
Couple this with antibiotic treatments - which attack the good bacteria as well as the harmful - and it becomes easy to see why people can get stuck in a cycle of constant infections.
Imbalances in the immune system can also result in increased inflammation and increased allergic reactions.
Rebuilding and reinforcing our good bacteria is vital to rebuilding the integrity of the gut and supporting a healthy immune system.  This will in turn reduce infections, food intolerance's, allergic reactions and inflammation.

Foods to support your microbiome
Certain foods help to support and strengthen your gut, and the good bacteria which live there.  Trying to incorporate these into your diet will help to improve the health of your microbiome and your body.

• Olive oil
• Oily fish - such as salmon, tuna, sardines, mackrel, and trout
• Fresh vegetables
• Turmeric
• Prebiotic fibres - such as inulin
• Onions, garlic and leeks
• Oats
• Flaxseeds
• Apple cider Vinegar
• Live yoghurt - on the condition it does not contain lots of sugar
• Fermented foods - such as sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi

For both adults and children it is super important to support you gut bacteria, especially after antibiotics, operations and when the body/digestive system is not feeling its best.

Call into your local Health food store for more information from a trained professional and to discover the ranges and strains available.

Niamh Roche

Systematic Kinesiologist, 

Nutrition, Health and Lifestyle Consultant

https://www.facebook.com/thenourishingfairy/

Reduce STRESS with Kinesiology.

A lovely article I came across about how Kinesiology can help ease every day and long term stress.  

Reducing stress in our lives is one of the basic components of good health. Stress is ever-present, and eliminating it is impossible. Besides, sometimes we need stress to propel us to complete tasks, make changes in our lives, or run from a hungry lion (or out of control car, depending on where you live!). It’s the way we deal with stress that usually needs work.

Kinesiology works with the technique of muscle testing which provides biofeedback, and pressure point techniques which are based on the Chinese meridians to assess where energy might be stagnating in the body, causing imbalances. Our physical, emotional and mental problems, such as how we deal with stress, affect the sense of balance in our bodies.

How Does Stress Work?

Stress is a normal physical response to either internal or external stimuli that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. It could be your relationship, work , the traffic, or a real physical danger (that hungry lion). When you sense danger the body's natural set of defenses, called the “fight-or-flight” response, kick in. Hormones surge through the body in an automatic process and can get us out of sticky situations.

This flight or flight response is your body’s way of protecting you. When working properly, it helps you stay focused, alert and energetic, so that you can meet deadlines or perform in an exam. In emergency situations, stress can save your life – giving you extra strength to defend yourself, for example, or spurring you to hit the brakes to avoid an accident – or running from the lion. 
The problem is though that we rarely come face to face with a lion. The stresses we deal with day to day are the ones that start to undermine our balance.

How Can Kinesiology Help?

Kinesiology offers a method of accessing information in the subconscious and releasing it through the muscle testing technique. Kinesiology aims to create a state of balance that will lead to optimal health.

One simple kinesiology technique that you can do for yourself or others is the emotional stress release technique. It is said that when we are stressed, blood flows to the back of the brain, where past memories are stored. When we are stressed we fall back on old patterns – things that may have worked once in a certain situation, but aren’t appropriate to the current situation. If you are feeling intensely emotional, place your hands on your forehead, just above the temples. Focus on the emotions you are experiencing to a specific incident. By placing the hands on the forehead, you are stimulating blood to flow to the front of the brain, where it is thought that new choice is formed.  The theory is that you will be able to approach the situation in a different way and let the stress surrounding it go.  https://www.naturaltherapypages.com.au/article/kinesiology_for_stress

Now a little imput of my own, Dr. Bennett who did the original research on the neuro-vascular points, which are the frontal points on the forehead used in ESR, used a machine called a fluoroscope which took continuous X-ray of the body. He observed the changes in circulation that took place when the points were contacted very lightly. The body, well and truly is amazing in it's ability to heal and relax with useful techniques! 

I have used this technique so many times when treating clients in my own clinic and with family and friends too.  
The results still amaze me.  It is powerful! 

Our first reaction in times of Stress is to place our hand on our forehead, the only thing is, we do not hold it long enough to improve the blood flow to bring new ideas and choices to the frontal lobe.

Give it a go and see for yourself..




Niamh 
Aka The Nourishing Fairy
https://www.facebook.com/thenourishingfairy/

10 Reasons you Need Systematic Kinesiology

How Systematic Kinesiology can change your life..

If your not feeling 100%.. Kinesiology, might just be what you are looking for! Here registered Systematic Kinesiologist, Niamh Roche, gives you 10 ways it can aid your health and wellbeing…

1. Improve general health and wellbeing - Kinesiology is a holistic therapy and works to balance the whole body and help it work as effectively as possible, which in turn can help prevent dis-ease and help you feel balanced.  Each session following Systematic Kinesiology's MCPE principal – Mental/Emotional, Chemical, Physical, Energy flow.  Self care is super important "Lets fill our own cup first so that we can abundantly pour into the people and projects that we truly Love and Care about"
2. Stress relief - Kinesiology can help you feel more balanced and allow you to let go and relax, which can only have a positive impact in terms of reducing your stress levels. 
3. Reduce tension - it is amazing how much tension we carry in our body. Kinesiology is an excellent way of relieving tension in the whole body. 
4. Relaxation – Systematic Kinesiology is a deeply relaxing therapy and some people like to have the treatment purely for its relaxation benefits.
5. Detox the body - Kinesiology helps the body to gently detoxify, We use muscle testing as a tool to investigate and to see what toxins are causing dis-ease in the body and support it with correct nutrition, stimulating the lymphatic system, acupuncture points, holding neuro vascular points and whatever structural fixes are needed to ensure the body is aligned to allow energy to flow smoothly.  Blocked energy leads to pain and inflammation. 
6. Strengthen the immune system - Kinesiology boosts the immune system by kick-starting the body’s own self healing techniques in order for it to be as balanced as possible. By using muscle testing we test the endocrine system and support the body by finding whatever is priority to address.  There is no guess work, the body leads the way.
7. Improve circulation – Systematic Kinesiology helps to improve circulation throughout the body. We highly recommend "Rebounding" also, it strengthens the heart muscles and increases the rate at which blood flows through the circulatory system.
8. Better sleep - the very fact that a Kinesiology treatment is so relaxing and helps balance the body means that you will probably find you sleep better. Most of my clients report having an amazing night’s sleep after a Kinesiology treatment.
9. Calm the mind - even though Kinesiology is a quite physical, it can also work on a mental/ emotional level. By allowing yourself an hour-long kinesiology treatment to relax and unwind, your mind is also able to calm and slow down. One of our most effective techniques ESR- Emotional Stress Release, has left people feeling lighter, relaxed and less stressed, with a new perspective to overcome the problem they may be dealing with.  Bach flower remedies help to support the emotional body also.
10. Increase energy - many people report feeling generally sluggish and tired, which can be a sign your body isn’t working as efficiently as it could. The balancing effect of kinesiology means that you can feel re-energised and re-vitalised. When your body is working as it should be, Energy is flowing correctly. So it will have you bouncing and full of life. You will feel like yourself again. 

Niamh is a registered Systematic Kinesiologist, Nutrition health and lifestyle consultant, Reiki master, Rahainni practitioner and nutritional chef based in County Wexford, Ireland..  To find out more check out my facebook page 
https://www.facebook.com/thenourishingfairy/