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Zinc: The Key Mineral – Mental Health, Immunity, Reproduction, Skin Health and more

Zinc Food - Your Wellness Centre NaturopathyZinc, with all its important physiological uses, is a mineral many of us are unknowingly deficient in.

Sourced from oysters, beef, and turkey, it can also be found in trace amounts in beans, cashews, almonds, and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) to name a few, but due to the lack of zinc in the soil in Australia, it depends on where the produce is grown to how much it will contain.

Phytates in grains, legumes, and nuts can reduce its absorption, leaving many vegans and vegetarians in need of supplementation.

More than 300 enzymes utilise zinc to facilitate biological processes, such as protein and DNA synthesis, cell division, and signaling.

It is highly concentrated in the hippocampus, which controls homeostasis, so it is no wonder that it can affect so many aspects of the body.

What does Zinc do for you?

  1. Immune function
    Zinc helps activate T lymphocytes (T cells) which benefit immunity in two ways; controlling and regulating immune response and attacking infected or cancerous cells.
  2. Treating the common cold
    With its effects on immunity, it has been shown to reduce the severity and duration of colds when taken within the first 24 hours of symptoms being present.
  3. Wound healing
    By helping maintain the integrity of the skin and mucosal membranes, zinc reduces skin healing times and can reduce the recurrence of rashes, acne, and other integumentary conditions.
  4. Bandage Wound Healing - Your Wellness Centre NaturopathyAntioxidants and anti-inflammation to prevent chronic disease
    A well-known electron donor, zinc has the ability to reduce damage from free radicals and reduce the cascade of events leading to chronic inflammation, which is linked to many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, age-related macular degeneration, Alzheimer’s, and Rheumatoid arthritis.
  5. Reproduction
    Zinc plays a key role in the male reproductive system; it is a key element of the quality of sperm and zinc status in men is ideally monitored up to 80 days prior to conception.
  6. Diarrhoea
    Zinc supplementation has been shown to be an effective treatment of diarrhoea and prevents future recurrences.
  7. Coping with stress
    During times of stress, and chronic stress states, the need for zinc increases as well as its elimination meaning the need for it in the diet or supplemented is increased.

What are some of the signs of Zinc deficiency?

With such a big role to play in so many facets of our health, it can be a difficult deficiency to identify.

Amongst some of the symptoms are:

  • Mood and Depression - Your Wellness Centre NaturopathyReduced or abnormal smell or taste
  • White spots or brittle nails, cracks and splits on fingertips
  • Poor appetite
  • Skin conditions; acne or eczema
  • Reduced or altered cognition; brain fog
  • Reduced mood, mild depression
  • Poor wound healing
  • Hair loss

What else can affect Zinc levels?

Other than reduced zinc consumption through dietary means, malabsorption and chronic illness such as diabetes, malignancy, liver disease, or sickle cell disease can reduce zinc levels. The consumption of alcohol in excess can lead to deficiency.

Taking prescribed diuretics increases the secretion of zinc and can aggravate zinc deficiency.

Can you have too much Zinc?

Excessive zinc can lead to toxicity, which causes adverse effects such as nausea, abdominal cramping, diarrhoea, and headaches.

Copper and iron levels may also be affected by the use of zinc supplementation or when consuming zinc-containing foods, it is recommended to consume separately from meals to reduce competition.

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If you would like to know more about whether you’re suffering from a zinc deficiency, or if zinc is the right supplement for you, and more information about dose and interaction, contact our mental health Naturopath to discuss your options, call 9879 9596 and book an appointment today! 

 

Your Wellness Centre Naturopathy Melbourne

 

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Allergy and Reactivity Treatment Program

If you live with an allergic condition such as food allergy symptoms, food intolerance, hay fever, asthma, or eczema, and would like to use a natural allergy treatment program, then our Strategic Allergy and Reactivity treatment program is highly recommended.

Our Strategic Allergy and Reactivity treatment program is one you undertake under the guidance of our Allergy Naturopath.

It is also beneficial if you are not sure you have an allergy!
This could be the case if you get a stomach ache after eating cheese or having milk (dairy allergy), or bloat and become headachy with certain other foods or won’t have a bar of say wheat or onions or garlic.

On the other hand, if food isn’t your issue, but pollens and certain grasses leave your skin desperately itchy or a cat sends you into a sneezing frenzy, then this allergy treatment program will be good for you too.

You may have used the usual treatment of allergy management that involves avoiding the allergen and using antihistamine medication. But even after months of use, you still have discomfort!

Our Strategic Allergy and Reactivity treatment program will treat the underlying reasons for your signs of allergies as well as reduce your allergy symptoms.

Here’s how it works:

Your Wellness Centre Naturopathy - Diet1) It addresses the root causes of your allergy and reactivity

2) It uses proven natural remedies for allergies that reduce reactivity

3) You are guided by your qualified Naturopath.

4) You get a specific dietary plan depending on your allergy or food allergy symptoms and your health history.

5) Your Naturopath will also work with you to strategically re-test the foods that cause you grief.

This means you can remain symptom-free, while still enjoying the foods and activities you love.

Now is the time to address those irritating signs of allergies by tackling the underlying causes. Completing this program can help you gain control of your reactivity and increase your tolerance levels, leading to a reduction in symptoms.

Our Strategic Allergy and Reactivity treatment program means you

  • Indulge in the foods and activities you enjoy
  • Pat your dog without sneezing,
  • Eat the foods you love without bloating,
  • Have a picnic in the grass without itching
  • Reduce any other signs of allergies.

We could call that life-changing!

So ring 9879 9596 for an appointment or contact us to see how we can help you.

 

Your Wellness Centre Naturopathy Melbourne

 

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Allergy Symptoms

Do you have unusual reactions or allergy symptoms to a pretty common substance?

Skin Rashes Food Allergy SymptomsDo you experience typical allergy symptoms such as bloating, cramping, diarrhoea, nausea, headache, migraine, itchy throat, mucus, eczema, skin rash, fatigue, itchy eyes?

If you would like some help with your allergies do ring us on 9879 9596 or contact us.

Many people simply live with these symptoms and believe it’s normal for them.

However, some individuals, like you, will have been able to relate these to a food you’ve eaten or something else in the environment.

The reason for this difference is that some of these allergy symptoms happen within minutes while others take many hours to develop.

So why does your body react this way?

The reason is that your body believes that these otherwise harmless substances (animal hair, foods, and grasses) are threatening.

And so, when it comes into contact with these substances, (in this case they are known as allergens,) your immune system releases large amounts of the chemical histamine.

Colds and Flu - Your Wellness Centre Naturopathy

How does Histamine act in Allergic Symptoms?

Histamine is like a burly bouncer outside a club: its job is to muscle an allergen out of your body by any means necessary.

Some of the ways histamine does this job is by producing redness and inflammation, a running nose, itchy eyes, constricted airways, bloating and diarrhoea. All these are signs of allergy symptoms.

But why does your body think these substances are harmful and mount this response against them in the first place?

Steps in your body’s immune system’s response.

They include:

  1. Your Wellness Centre Naturopathy - Gut Benefits of ProbioticsInflammation within your digestive tract (where the majority of your immune system is found).
  2. Damage to the lining of your digestive tract commonly known as leaky gut, allows small particles (undigested food, bacteria, and/or toxins) to pass through to the bloodstream causing inflammation in other areas of the body).
  3. Low levels of good bacteria and/or an overgrowth of bad bacteria within your intestine that interferes with your body’s immune response.

So in allergy treatment, and especially in food allergies treatment, not only do we initially need to avoid the things you react to, but we need to address the underlying reasons for your unwanted allergy symptoms

As you can see from the above, we need to repair your gut, improve your ability to tolerate allergens, as well as reduce your allergy symptoms or food intolerance symptoms.

Following a prescribed diet in conjunction with specialized supplementation greatly assists in reducing symptoms and building tolerance to allergens.

Your Naturopath will recommend a specific dietary plan depending on your symptom presentation and health history.

So ring us now on 98799596 or Contact us here.

Contact us before 31st May 2018, for an initial appointment and get a complimentary Live Blood Screening valued at $120 included in your initial appointment.

 

Your Wellness Centre Naturopathy Melbourne

 

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Polycystic Ovaries and PCOS are Different

Here we briefly discuss the difference between PCOS and polycystic ovaries because they are often thought to be one and the same thing.

Polycystic Ovaries

When you have more ovarian cysts than normal, you are said to have polycystic ovaries.
Ovaries of normal women can be polycystic when they do not ovulate. This can be found up to 25% of the time on ultrasound. On being retested a few months later, their ovaries may be normal.
This is why experts agree that ultrasound alone cannot be used to diagnose the condition of the polycystic ovarian syndrome. 

What then is PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)?

When you have PCOS you not  only have cysts on the ovaries like in polycystic ovaries but you also have other underlying hormonal problems which cause other symptoms like:

  • abnormal blood glucose control (insulin-resistance)
  • a tendency to produce too much male hormone (androgens)
  • irregular menstruation
  • irregular ovulation
  • acne and obesity

Because of this, only having polycystic ovaries is not enough to diagnose PCOS. This is because it also involves complex metabolic, hypothalamic, pituitary, ovarian, and adrenal interactions as underlying issues.

At Your Wellness Centre, your PCOS naturopath may recommend that you have a hormone saliva test to establish the level of your hormones as well.

Your naturopath will also provide you with effective PCOS treatment, to help all the hormonal symptoms you are suffering from. This includes prescribing special herbs and supplements to help irregular or absent periods as well as other symptoms.

You will also be encouraged to follow a PCOS diet of low carbohydrate, low sugar foods, low glycaemic load foods, and good quality protein to help regulate insulin levels. Studies have shown that diet and lifestyle factors, which are included in the natural medicine treatment are extremely effective in the prevention and management of PCOS.

For more information and to help with PCOS treatment naturally, you are invited to make an appointment with the PCOS naturopath at Your Wellness Centre.

Take the step toward a healthier you!
Call 9879 9596 and book an appointment today!

Your Wellness Centre Naturopathy Melbourne

 

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