… Well, it certainly looks that way this week! Welcome back to my ordinary blog in an ordinary life.
As ordinary as it gets with a 21 day menstrual cycle, that is. With 7 days of that spent menstruating, 7 days spent growling, snarling or crying and not being quite “with it” , that leaves a 7 day window of opportunity to approach me if you’d like to get something done.
4 years ago I was sterilised, with the often common result that my cycle changed. Soon after, hormone tests via my GP showed that levels of PROGESTERONE (produced during the cycle’s 2nd half and responsible for sustaining uterine lining and therefore theoretically enabling pregnancy) were significantly lower than expected for my age. The result being that hormone levels drop, my period comes earlier because the lining of the womb is unable to stay put. I’m still not sure why the periods manage to last a whole week though….. where on earth does it all come from?
Cyclical Breast Pain Relief
In addition to this, premenstrual symptoms, especially breast pain, were very severe. I promise I am not a mad crazy woman… my family think somewhat differently, one week out of three! So as an all round health issue, this needs addressing as it affects my life in a very considerable way.
Last weekend my breasts had increased by a full cup size and were agony. My mood was OK though, I have to say. I started smoothies and reformed eating habits on Monday of week 2 of my cycle, by Thursday the pain was noticeably less, thankfully. On Saturday it had gone. On Sunday I got my period. Grrr.
Given the medical intervention involved, and the fact that my GP recommended Evening Primrose Oil to help with the pain, I went online to check how this kind of thing works…. have a look here for the official NHS view on this…
The site states that no noticeable effect is received fom Evening Primrose oil as opposed to a placebo…. so why doctors recommend it, I cannot say. But I can say for definite that most of our diets here in the Western world are deficient in omega 3 and 6 oils, simply because very few people eat oily fish such as mackerel or salmon each week. And GLA (gamma linoleic acid) is known to be low in women with breast pain.
Multivitamins alone will not provide these essential oils and acids, and even taken as a supplement the conversion process in the body can often be inefficient, leading to a lack. I happily accept that the superfoods I have chosen contain high levels of these nutrients, amongst a myriad of others. It makes complete sense to supplement an improved diet with something the body can process as a proper food, rather than with something the medical profession seems to regard as a somewhat more ineffective pill.
Smoothie
I’m happy to report that my smoothie mix from the last blog entry works extremely well with no added sweeteners…. berries, banana, rice milk, whizzed up with HEMP, MACA and BARLEYGRASS. Not just palatable, but pleasant. So it’s been easy to bring this into my breakfast routine.
I know from past experience as a slimming consultant and successful slimmer using an eating plan based largely around simple foots such as lean meats, complex carbohydrates and fruit and vegetables, with very little fat, that if I eat less cheap, cheerful and fatty food (white bread, doughnuts, biscuits, chocolate) around my PMT week, I actually do feel better for it. But it’s easy to forget. So this week I altered my diet too, and ditched the simple carbs, expecting to feel starved cravings, tiredness etc etc as it was a bit of cold turkey really. The only thing I have not managed is to drink more water, still on the coffee and tea, I’m afraid.
So I am delighted to report that a superfood smoothie in a morning ,with a light breakfast of an egg, tomato and some ham, carried me through till lunchtime without a single food craving of any kind! Now that is definitely a start. I had horrific breast pain at the start, in part due to my recently appalling diet of take aways and easy to grab foods, but also due, I believe, to the intervention of my GP in prescribing Cerazette, a progesterone only mini pill (birth control pills), to try and calm my periods.
So what has emerged from this first week?
1. A superfood smoothie seems to start the day well, helping eliminate the sugary and starchy food cravings that make beginning a plan of healthy eating so difficult.
2. My mood has remained fine through the entire premenstrual week. (My family may argue with this, but I have felt fine!)
3. MY BREASTS DON’T HURT! (This one is my favourite).
On Tuesday I clocked a rather unhealthy 12 st 13 ½ lbs, which borders on the “obese” section of the outdated but still worrying charts used by doctors and nurses to determine healthy weight ranges. I have tried to exercise a little more too. As yet, I have not weighed myself this week, but you can be sure I will report back when I do…. even though I did have toffee popcorn at the weekend! Well, a girl’s got to live a little! I enjoyed every mouthful!
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Indigo Herbs customer and author of the ‘Let’s bake today’ blog, Karin Momberg has invented a new twist to an old favourite recipe – Lucuma Pretzels. And what’s more, Karin has generously agreed to share the recipe here at Indigo Herbs. I must say they certainly look delicious in Karin’s photo’s and according to her blog they are EVEN MORE DELICIOUS THAN CHOCOLATE PRETZELS!!!
Well, Lucuma is one of Latin America’s most popular flavours after all.
The recipe is quite straightforward and I’m looking forward to this weekend when i’m going to try it out with my kids.
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Yogi & Superfoodie Claire, about to make up wheatgrass and spirulina at breakfast.
Knowing how to make superfood shots, like wheatgrass juice and spirulina, from their powders, is essential if you want to include a useful amount of these superfoods in your diet. There are of course many methods for doing this and from talking to some of our customers I know that different methods fit into different lifestyles. If you are the sort of person that prepares fresh fruit and veg smoothies each morning at the juicer / food processor you will have a different approach to the sort of person who gets up 15 minutes before leaving the house and wants to make up some wheatgrass and spirulina to drink on the way to the gym.
Hearing about these methods is always interesting to me so, on a recent visit to Jersey, I was really pleased to discover another method – The Milk Frother.
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Glastonbury Festival 2011 will be by far the largest festival of the performing arts in the British Isles. With about 138,000 members of the public and at least 40,000 ‘crew’ it really is a city in a field. Or rather a city in quite a few fields, as the event has outgrown Worthy Farm and now involves Mr Eavis’s neighbours. If you ever get the chance, go and have a look at it from up the tor. There’s nothing quite like it. Listening to the noise on Thursday night, before any of the sound systems are on, you can fully appreciate that there are 180,000 excited people in the countryside, and you’re one of them. This electric background noise sparks off spontaneous applause memes which can be heard rebounding around the festival site like audible Mexican waves. Magic.
But surviving Glastonbury Festival 2011 may be demanding. Even festival organiser Michael Eavis admits that “It can be battlefield conditions some of the time and you have to be nimble and quick witted”. As Glastonbury residents we have collectively attended the festival over 100 times and so we have put our heads together and written our Survival Guide to Glastonbury Festival. read this entry »
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Essential oils are a powerful plant extract and should be handled and administered with care and respect.
Essential oils should never be used directly on the skin. All essential oils should be diluted in a carrier oil, cream or bath milk.
Dosage for Essential oils to be use for aromatherapy can vary significantly depending on their application and on who will be using them. As with any herb, when using a new essential oil be sure to start with a more dilute preparation in order to achieve a lower dosage and watch for adverse reactions. Aromatherapy is quite safe as long as the essential oils are diluted and sensible dosage achieved.
Babies, infants and young children need a lighter ratio of essential oils to carrier oil, 0.5% – 1%. Also pregnant women and the elderly need a 1.5% – 2% dilution ratio.
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Essential Oil Drops in 5ml |
Essential Oil Drops in 10ml |
Essential Oil Drops in 15ml |
Essential Oil Drops in 20ml |
Essential Oil Drops in 25ml |
Essential Oil Drops in 30ml |
Essential Oil Drops in 35ml |
Essential Oil Drops in 40ml |
iEssential Oil Drops in 45ml |
Essential Oil Drops in 50ml |
| Dosage: 0.5% |
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| Dosage: 1.0% |
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| Dosage: 1.5% |
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| Dosage: 2.0% |
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| Dosage: 2.5% |
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| Dosage: 3.0% |
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30 |
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Here is a guide to Using essential oils.
When using essential oils, it is important to ensure the neat essential oils are never applied directly to the skin.
Essential oils can be added to a carrier substance to create a dilution. It is essential to choose the correct proportion of essential oils to carrier substances (see Dosage Chart)
Sweet Almond oil, Grape-seed oil and Wheat-germ oil are the most popular choices for using in Aromatherapy, however many plant oils can be used. There is a wide range of different botanical oils available, and each one has unique properties. All plant oils are absorbed by the skin however so always use a good quality 100% pure botanical oil. Many body oils use ingredients that are products of the petrochemical industry (even ‘natural’ products). The skin is immensely sensitive, so the general rule is don’t put on your body what you wouldn’t put in your food. Other carrier substances include botanical butters, such as Cacao butter, Coconut butter, Shea butter and plant gels such as Aloe Vera. Essential oils can be added to Full fat Soya, Goats or Cow milk for bathing in (Cleopatra would approve) and vodka can be used to preserve and fix an essential oil blend.
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How to use Tribulus Terrestris / Gokshura for BODYBUILDING.
Overview:
Tribulus Terrestris / Gokshura is an incredibly popular supplement sold here at Indigo Herbs, we believe this is because of its recognisable and powerful effects on libido and testosterone levels. Tribulus Terrestris is rich in saponins, the active ingredient claimed to increase the body’s natural testosterone, hence why it’s perfect for bodybuilding. A popular study showed that read this entry »
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They are a very simple bit of equipment the herbal tea infuser, but, they can simultaneously improve your herbal tea experience and reduce the impact of that experience on the environment. And here’s how… read this entry »
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