Health and Nutrition Questions

Questions about Allergies
Questions about Nutrition
Questions about Common Ailments
Questions about Prescription Drugs

Please keep sending in your health questions and queries.I am committed to helping my online visitors and potential clients with health care assistance and I answer each one personally. I can give help and advice on any of your health queries concerning diet, nutrition, dosages and lifestyle. Please note: this would not be the same level of advice that I could give you during a consultation and would be generalised advice only.

If your question is not related to any topics covered here, please get in touch and I will answer you personally - if I am online I can answer you straightaway. If I am offline I will answer as soon as possible.

Some examples of questions and answers already given are detailed below.

Questions about Allergies

Why do people get allergies and why do allergies sometimes come on in later life?

Some of us react with ill health to certain foods while others do not. Why this happens is still mostly a mystery, but there are a few reasons why this can happen. One reason is if certain foods are introduced to a child too early whilst their immune systems are still undeveloped. A child’s immune system can mistake innocuous food like Rusk or cereals as harmful invaders, and set off an immune system response, causing an allergic reaction.

It is no coincidence that dairy foods and wheat are two of the most common types of foods fed to babies and infants, and two of the most common allergies. In later life allergic reactions can be caused by eating too much of the same food.

For example it’s not difficult to overdose on wheat, with cereal for breakfast every morning and sandwiches for lunch every day – and perhaps pasta in the evenings! As we age our stomach acid levels also fall and we tend not to digest our food so well.

With a poor digestion, fragments of food may enter the bloodstream, where they are treated as hostile invaders by the immune system. The same thing can happen with “leaky gut” syndrome where the intestinal walls have become too thin and easily penetrated to do its job properly. Stress, too much alcohol and some drugs can all add to the problem.

In these different ways your body can become sensitive to certain foods and continuing eating those means an allergic reaction can happen due to the “memory” of the immune system

Every year I get terrible hay fever. What can I do?

Even though allergies can be caused by pollen, other factors make a person more likely to sneeze than another. After it was realized that hay fever cases rose dramatically in cities compared to the countryside, health researchers discovered that pollution like exhaust fumes were the prime trigger for the immune system to react.

To get rid of the misery of hay fever, a good all round antioxidant health supplement needs to be taken containing vitamin A, C and E, beta-carotene, selenium and zinc, plus the amino acids cysteine or glutathione to increase your resistance.

The amino acid methionine in combination with calcium is a very effective antihistamine. You need to supplement 500mg of methionine with 400mg of calcium, twice a day. Vitamin C 100 mg a day also helps to control histamine levels, as well as vitamin B5 at 500mg a day.

Is “bloating” a type of allergy?

Whilst bloating CAN be caused by a digestive reaction to wheat, bloating and flatulence can also be the result of poor digestion or an overgrowth of the fungus Candida albicans, which can affect your digestion.. Start by improving your diet, chew your food well, don’t eat when you’re stressed, and reduce your intake of wheat and foods that make the problem worse.

You may not be making enough enzymes to digest your food properly, so consider supplementing digestive enzymes with each meal. Also supplement a high strength multivitamin and mineral containing at least 10mg of zinc, as zinc is needed to make stomach acid.

Which type of milk causes the most allergic reactions?

I advise someone with a potential dairy food allergy or intolerance to avoid ALL dairy for 10 days and see if there is any difference to their health symptoms, and when they start eating and drinking dairy foods again to notice any changes.

Lactose and Casein, the sugars and proteins present in milk, are very hard for the human body to digest, and more and more people are realizing that the ill-health symptoms they have been suffering with for years, are in fact due to milk. It is a popular food, I know, but its really only good for baby cows!

There are alternatives like Soya milk which you can try if you suspect that milk could be a problem. You should also ensure that you are getting plenty of the essential fatty acids found in nuts, seeds and oily fish, and supplement calcium to make up for the possible shortfall in your diet from omitting dairy products.

What can I do for chronic eczema?

Many eczema sufferers are usually allergic to something they are eating, or putting on their skin. The most common foods in this case are dairy products and eggs, citrus fruits, gluten (the protein found in wheat, oats and rye), chocolate tea and coffee.

You could try eliminating these from your diet one at a time to see if you get any relief. Do so for 10 days per food, since it takes a while for your skin to calm down. Allergies to chemicals can also trigger eczema, so try changing to a neutral eco-washing powder and fabric softening.

The other possibility is that you have a deficiency in essential fats, without which the skin becomes sensitive and dry. Eczema sufferers in particular seem to have a higher need for essential fatty acids than most.

These are found in oily fish, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flaxseeds, and hemp seed oil. Seeds and fish are both anti-inflammatory and explains why they are so good for eczema sufferers.

It’s a good idea to take supplements that contain EPA, DHA as well as GLA. I would also recommend a good multivitamin as B vitamins; zinc and magnesium all help the body to use essential fats to keep skin healthy. You may also be low on antioxidants, some of which have anti-inflammatory properties. Quercetin (300mg before meals) or Grape seed extract (50mg with meals).

Certain foods, particularly berries are also very high in flavanoids that have also been shown to help eczema. There are also certain drug-free creams worth trying. Try MSM (organic sulphur) cream or Aloe Vera soothing gel.

Be careful with these are some people’s skin can be very sensitive, especially if the skin is broken. The best creams contain anti-inflammatory herbs such as ginger, frankincense, burdock or chickweed.
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Questions about Nutrition

Can you get all the nutrients you need from a well – balanced diet?

Definitely not! Even if you consider the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) enough, over 90 percent of people who think they are eating well, fail to achieve even these levels. And these levels are just enough to prevent deficiencies, not for optimum health.

Food production today strips the nutrients from foods, and modern life places extra pollution and stress on our bodies, along with medication, food additives and other chemicals. We therefore need far more healthy nutrients than we get from diet alone.

Consider this. Taking just one example of how food has deteriorated over the years, an orange today contains 8 times less nutrients than it did 50 years ago. So to get the same nutrients now compared to then, you would need to eat 8 oranges instead of one!

That’s why I recommend anyone who wants better health to take at least 1000mg of Vitamin C and a high strength multivitamin and mineral every day at the very least. See links below on or resources page for suppliers of good quality vitamins.

What’s the healthiest working snack lunch?

Your brain and energy need a health boost at this time of the day. Here’s how to do it: Firstly, don’t overeat. You’ll get better energy snacking on a piece of fruit mid morning and afternoon, like an apple or a pear, and keeping to a light lunch.

You will need to eat some protein so some “slow releasing” carbohydrate and some fresh vegetables, like salad is ideal. A good lunch would be a piece of fish, or chicken, or an egg dish such as an omelet with salad and whole wheat bread, pasta or brown rice. Also don’t have a fizzy drink - either have water, apple juice or green, fruit or herbal tea.

What’s the difference between nutritional therapists and dieticians?

Both are trained to give you a dietary program to keep you healthy. A dietician tends to base nutritional needs on the RDAs (recommended daily allowances) and often work with people who have serious health problems and are on medication. GP practices and hospitals often refer people to dieticians to help manage their diet.

A nutritional therapist would look at your Optimum health levels, that is, what you need to feel great, and not just to feel OK. They also take into account your lifestyle and environment as well as what you eat and drink. They are also trained in the use of supplements and dieticians are not.

I drown my food with salt and pepper – is it bad for me?

You need only around 2 grams of salt a day, so you need to cut back. Too much salt also tends to make your palette less sensitive to the taste of food, which makes you want to season it more, so it’s vicious circle.

Adding too much salt to food (remember salt is also high in processed foods) also makes you retain water, which can be the reason for weight gain, and increased blood pressure.

Not all salt, however, is bad for you. Traditional salt is called sodium chloride. Sea salt and rock salt contains other minerals, but is still mostly sodium. A good alternative is low sodium Icelandic Salt, known as Solo Salt. The sodium level is 60 percent lower, plus it contains potassium and magnesium. This is recommended for anyone who suffers from high blood pressure

Unlike salt, lots of pepper is very good for your health. This is because it contains a compound called piperine that increases the amount of nutrients you absorb from your food. This compound is richest in black pepper, not white.

Which is better – butter or margarine?

I’d go for butter. Butter has had a bad press because of its high saturated fat content but it’s also a lot more healthy and a good source of the important fat–soluble vitamins A and D. Compared with most commercial margarines, its fats are not actually that bad for you.

Most margarine is made from highly processed vegetable fats called hydrogenated fats, in which the chemistry of the oil has been altered so that it becomes solid. These fats can be harmful to health as it can alter the way the body works. Heated margarines also give off trans-fats which are carcinogenic.

Is cholesterol bad for you?

This is one of the biggest and long lasting myths about diet, and it makes eggs get a bad press as they contain high levels of cholesterol. What is often forgotten is that cholesterol is essential for good health-your brain contains it and it is used to make the sex hormones oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone.

What’s more, staying away from cholesterol rich food like eggs does very little to lower body cholesterol levels, as most of it is produced in the liver anyway. The problem is not so much cholesterol, but damaged or oxidised cholesterol, because it accumulates in artery walls.

So you need to avoid eating oxidised cholesterol, found in fried foods like bacon and sausages – which is bad news for the traditional fry-up. You should also have a good intake of antioxidants for health which are vitamins A, C and E, as they protect cholesterol in the body from being damaged.

Why are carrots good for your eyes?

In the retina – a special tissue at the back of your eyeball – are light sensitive chemicals that convey what you see to the brain. These chemicals are made from retinol, or vitamin A. While you can get retinol from meat, much of the vitamin A comes from fruits and vegetables in the form of beta-carotene.

Carrots are especially rich in beta-carotene as well as orange and red foods such as sweet potatoes, apricots, melons, and tomatoes. Deficiencies in vitamin A make you more prone to long and short sightedness, glaucoma, eye infections, night blindness and itchy watery unhealthy eyes.

The RDA of vitamin A is 600mcg but this isn’t enough to keep your eyes as healthy as possible. Our ancestors probably obtained around 10,000mcg. A good diet, as well as a carrot a day can give you 7000mcg in the form of beta-carotene. I would recommend supplementing with a further 2000mcg-3,000mcg (6600 to 10000ius)

Taking B vitamins and eating enough good protein are also important to eye health. The herb eyebright helps too, and is effective at overcoming eye infections and cataracts. Lutein, a chemical found in spinach, kale and other dark green vegetables, is also good for eye health – so make sure you eat your greens!

Do fruit juices rot your teeth?

Yes. Both fruit and fruit juice contain acids which are the main cause of erosion, thinning enamel on teeth. Worst of all are fizzy sweet fruit drinks as the carbonation make even more acids. Tooth rotting acids are also made by bacteria that turn sugars into acid.

Fruit that is not ripe and taste sour contain more unhealthy acid. Blackcurrants, grapes and citrus fruits are the worst, especially grapes as although they can taste sweet; they have high levels of acids in them. Pears and bananas are least harmful to teeth.

Having said that, fruits are extremely good for our health, so to get the best of both worlds, dilute fruit juice half and half with water.

Also accompany your fruit with a few almonds; they are high in calcium and good at neutralizing acids. And eat yoghurt with your fruit. If the fruit is hard, but not sour, (like an apple or a pear) the fibres will actually benefit your teeth by giving them a good clean.

Are meat replacements like Quorn good for you?

Quorn is a micro-protein produced from mushrooms, that some people can be allergic to, or that can aggravate yeast intolerance. But if you have no reaction to it, then there should be no problem in eating it.

I’d advise against eating it every day, but mix it with other sources of vegetable protein – like Soya mince, tofu and tempura, pulses (such as lentils and beans), mixed with rice, quinoa (protein rich South American grain), seeds or fish.
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Questions about Common Ailments

What’s the quickest way to kill a cold?

Up your vitamin intake of vitamin C to 3000mg every 4 hours. This level of vitamin C saturates the bloodstream and simply stops the viruses from surviving. This is for short term use only as high doses of vitamin C can also have a laxative effect! Once your cold has gone, go back to taking 1000 – 2000 mg a day to prevent them.

Another cold killer is black elderberry extract, available in health food shops. Black Elderberry effectively stops viruses from multiplying. I’d also drink two or three cups of tea from the Amazonian herb Cat’s Claw. It does has a bitter taste so you can add some apple or blackcurrant juice to sweeten it. Also effective is 2-3 drops of Echinacea two – three times a day - all available from health shops. Beyond this, take it easy!

How can I get rid of bad breath?

Unless you have rotten teeth or gums, bad breath doesn’t usually have anything to do with your mouth, which is why breath fresheners often don’t work. The most common underlying reason could be that you are not digesting your food properly, as you may not be producing enough stomach acid (HC1).

Food will then be left fermenting in your stomach, which is what makes breath smell. You can buy HC1 in capsules usually in the form of betaine hydrochloride. Take 300mg with each meal. As stress can interfere with the body’s HC1 production, don’t eat when stressed. Chew food well and learn to relax when you sit down to eat.

Are there any natural remedies for headaches?

There are many causes of headaches and migraines. These can include: a drop in blood sugar, dehydration, allergy, stress and tension, or a combination of any of these. Peaks and troughs of adrenaline can bring on headaches. Often they go away with the correct healthy nutrition.

Instead of taking aspirin or migraine drugs, try taking 100 to 200mg of Vitamin B3 in the niacin form. This will cause a “blushing” sensation as well as a feeling of increased heat and can often stop or reduce the pain of a headache in its early stages. It is best to do this at home in a relaxed environment.

What’s the best way to calm down an insect bite?

Insect bites cause a histamine reaction that isolates the poison, resulting in an itchy lump. Applying MSM (organic sulphur) cream or aloe vera gel as soon as possible cools it down and helps reduce itchiness.

Vitamin C is an anti-histamine, so take 1 gram (1000mg) an hour for the first 3 hours after you were bitten, and to heal it, cut open a vitamin E capsule and put the oil on the bite.

What’s the natural way to deal with travel sickness?

One hour before you travel, take 5 charcoal tablets to help settle and cleanse your gut. Also take enough ginger capsules to give you the equivalent of 1000mg before you go, and continue to take this amount every three hours.

You could take fresh ginger tea in a flask – grate the root and pour on boiling water. Dabbing a drop of peppermint oil on your tongue every now and then helps to stave off nausea. Avoid spicy, fatty and junk foods before during and after your journey, as they don’t do your digestion any favours. The same goes for alcohol.

You may find that limiting any visual stimulation such as ocean waves, or the views from a car window helps. That’s why closing your eyes or lying down can stop you feeling nauseous.

Are there any natural health remedies for cold sores?

Cold sores are caused by the Herpes virus which feeds off an amino acid called arginine. If you supplement lysine, an amino acid that looks like arginine, you fool the virus and effectively starve it. I recommend supplementing 1,000mg of lysine every day, away from food, to keep the virus at bay.

When you have an active infection, supplement 3,000mg of lysine a day and cut back on foods rich in arginine such as beans, lentils, and nuts, and chocolate. The more stressed you are, the weaker your immune system and health becomes, and this allows the virus to become active – which is why many people get cold sores when they feel run down.

Some great results are being achieved by a supplement called MSM, a special form of sulphur. It appears to strip away the protective coating of a virus. Start by taking 3 grams a day (3,000mg) and work up till you find a dose that keeps your cold sores away; for some people this can be as much as 10,000mg (10grams)

What’s the best way of dealing with Tinnitus?

Tinnitus (constant ringing in the ears) is said to affect as many as 4 million people in the UK. It is caused and made worse by a number of factors. Many prescribed medications list it as a side effect so it may be worth checking any medications you may be taking. It can also be triggered by a loud noise, either a single blast or over a prolonged period of time.

Inflammation in the ear can be a cause, either from an allergy or an infection. So can a restricted flow of blood, which can happen with a blood sugar imbalance. Gingko Biloba is a good supplement to take to remedy this as it increases blood flow to the affected area. The herbs boswellia and curcumin are good for inflammation, as well as omega 3 oils from oily fish, nuts and seeds, which are natural anti-inflammatory.

Sometimes physical imbalances in your neck or skull can result in tinnitus. A cranial osteopath can help to correct these.

Are there any herbs that shouldn’t be taken alongside medications?

There are all sorts of possible health reactions between herbs and drugs, nutrients and drugs and between medications themselves. The main ones to look out for are herbs and drugs that have similar aims. For instance, garlic which helps to thin the blood, may exaggerate the effects of the drug warfarin, making blood dangerously thin, so it doesn’t clot properly

Ginseng and garlic can have a similar bad health interaction. Another combination to watch out for is Ginkgo Biloba and Aspirin - taking these together has been linked to the eruption of blood vessels in the eye. Another popular herbal remedy for depression, St. John’s Wort should not be taken at the same time as other anti-depressant drugs like prozac.

Concentrate on finding effective herbal remedies alone. But if you are on medication, do check with your doctor before stopping it – or in fact starting any herbal remedies.
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Questions about Prescription Drugs

I have been taking beta blockers and water tablets for high blood pressure for quite some time now but would love to be able to control it naturally without medication. I have never liked taking tablets as they all have side effects.

I can understand you wanting to get off drugs for your high blood pressure. Perhaps you may not know it but there are certain drugs that RAISE blood pressure too - these are: