What are Mitochondria? Is our environment tampering ruining our Health?

What are Mitochondria? Is our environment tampering ruining our Health?

by | Mar 9, 2023 | Environment, Healthcare & Wellbeing Tips, Increase Energy, Men's Health, Nutrition, Pain, Womens Health

If the saying use it or lose it applies to mitochondria… and I suggest that it does, then it may very well be that environment tampering (or stabilising the temperature or our indoor environments) could very well be ruining our health!

Rather read the transcript?

Here it is…

Hi friends, who of you suffer from pain in multiple areas or know that you are suffering a complex combination of issues? Maybe:

  • inflammation
  • or an autoimmune disease?
  • gut disturbances?
  • or chronic unshakable fatigue or exhaustion?

Today I want to talk about cellular health. And how mitochondria are a key component in chronic health conditions, and all that I just mentioned above.

I’m Alexis Weidland, Osteopath at BlossomingMe. And over the last 16 or so years, I’ve helped many people with many different issues. One of the interesting things I’ve noticed is whether you have a complex issue, a chronic health condition; or you’re trying to heal from an injury, there are always small amounts of inflammation (chronic or acute) and mitochondrial dysfunction. And that treating these alongside physical treatment, and with gut healing protocols, where necessary, can be vital to the outcome that you want… Vibrant Health!

So today I’m going to share with you:

  1. a few ways that our mitochondria can become damaged.
  2. what symptoms you may notice with mitochondrial damage; and
  3. two simple and cheap ways you can stimulate more and healthier mitochondria.

How mitochondria become damaged

Firstly, our mitochondria are little factories inside our cells. They produce the energy our cells use to perform the multitude of functions they do every second of every day. Oxidation, inflammation, toxins, and an imbalance within the mitochondrial energy transport chain itself can all damage them.

Interestingly, in our modern societies, many of us enjoy the comforts of heating and cooling of our environment. While this is a great comfort, that same comfort removes our cells’ need to produce energy to keep us warm and activate our cooling mechanisms. And this lack of stimulation actually results in the function of our mitochondria reducing. So the fact that we are tampering with our environment to make us more comfortable, as well as all the toxins that our society now creates – both can cause damage to our mitochondria. And reduces the production and repair of these essential cell components, so it’s a double whammy!

Mitochondria-Chronic-Health-Conditions-Environmental-Damage
mitochondrial-dysfunction-inflammation-autoimmune disease-gut disturbances-chronic fatigue

Symptoms you may notice

Okay. So if you’ve got enough mitochondrial damage, then the tissues cannot function well. But the symptoms that you will notice depend on which cells, which tissues, and the location of damage. This means determining if you actually have a mitochondrial dysfunction issue can be incredibly difficult, because there’s no real pattern! The symptoms that you will have will be related to those cells and tissues specifically affected. So it wouldn’t necessarily affect one tissue or even one system. Essentially, any combination of symptoms could be the result of mitochondrial dysfunction!

I’d love you to take a moment and think about your situation. Are you suffering any complaints that might actually be associated with mitochondria? If you’re now thinking…maybe? I’d love for you to comment ‘YES’ below when you watch this video. And if you’re willing, then it would be great to hear some of those symptoms that you are suffering?

Two simple strategies to activate your mitochondria

Now, here are two simple and cheap things that you can do from home:

1. The first is using a personal infra-red sauna.

The heat from an infrared sauna, and the controlled environment, can activate your body’s natural cooling mechanisms. This uses energy and activates your mitochondria. This will boost your natural detoxification process, as well as your cell repair mechanism. And allows your body to activate phagocytosis (that is, the removal of any underperforming cells and mitochondria).

mitochondria-repair-infrared-sauna-cellular-health-Blossoming-Me-Turramurra
mitochondria-cold-shower-adjusting-temperatures-improve-cellular-health

2. The second tip is a cold shower or even an ice bath.

So now, you may not be so ready to plunge into an ice bath, but even adding cold water at the end of your shower can still be enough to activate your normal mitochondrial function improving their ability to keep you warm activating the removal of inferiorly performing mitochondria and supporting you to stay warm and healthy. You just need to start with 10 seconds at the end of your shower and if you dare, you can slowly build up to two minutes at the end of that shower.

Overall, both of these will allow your cells to become more energised and function more effectively! 

If you don’t have a sauna and have no interest in purchasing one, there are places where you can use an infrared sauna. This can be done once or twice a week, especially if it’s part of a detoxification protocol, but while it’s not the same, you could also use your bath. Having a lovely warm bath can help activate your heating and cooling mechanisms still! So if you’re going to take a bath, why not make it a relaxing Epsom salt bath or even a detox bath – just make sure you take care, because this extra heat will dilate your blood vessels, and so you could become light-headed as you’re getting out… So instead, maybe you want to sit in the bath longer and let the water run out, and maybe you could even let the cold water flow over you.

Both of these Heating and Cooling activities have the added benefit of activating blood vessels – making them dilate and making them constrict, and this, in fact can be useful over time, in improving your blood pressure control.

Final Thoughts:

Mitochondria are little factories within each cell. They create the ATP (energy molecule) that runs all functions of every cell and without enough…. you have NO ENERGY!

These little organelles are susceptible to damage and mutation by oxidation, inflammation, not enough nutrients, too much waste/congestion, and toxins. Our body keeps our mitochondria functioning well but activating phagocytosis, which removes all underperforming cells and mitochondria and activates repair and production of healthy cells. Just like muscles, we need to use them, or loose them… so we need to stimulate mitochondrial activity by short periods of heat and cold.

Environment tampering creates toxins, which damage mitochondria. And stable, air conditioned temperatures, reduce the stimulation and production of healthy new mitochondria… Both of which can lead to dysfunctional mitochondria and potentially a variety of symptoms. In a way, maybe, our environment tampering, is ruining our health?

But the good news is – YOU can do something about it!

Author: Alexis Weidland

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Hungry for more?

Check out our other blogs; send us a question, so we can create content that YOU want to know about… and tune in next week, when I chat more about Mitochondria the gut and YOUR health!

About Blossoming Me

BlossomingMe offers a fully integrated approach to your wellbeing. Located on Sydney’s Upper North Shore. Sarah is our Craniosacral and Remedial Massage Therapist and health and lifestyle coach. She can help relieve those problematic knots, tightness and other specific ailments to promote a healthy recovery. These complementary massage therapies can be combined to suit your needs, and include: craniosacral therapy, shiatsu, acupressure, reiki, remedial, swedish, and body-mind-massage. 

Our qualified Osteopath, Alexis, offers a drug free, minimally invasive, “hands on” treatment focusing on the musculoskeletal system with its associated muscles, tendons, ligaments, membranes, bones and joints. Alexis takes a functional approach. This means that she focuses on the way a component (body part, tissue or group of tissues) performs its role, as well as the way the body works, performs and integrates as a whole. Our team can support you to improve your posture and therefore your overall health.

**Disclaimer** The information provided by BlossomingMe, on our website, in our courses, and in our blogs and posts, is for educational and informational purposes only. The information provided on this site and social outlets is not, nor intended to be, a substitute for profess

ional advice or care. Please seek the advice of a qualified health professional before you make any changes to your health regime, before dealing with new symptoms, and, if something you have read here has raised any questions or concerns regarding your situation.

Autumn Energy Cleanse; Clear Your Blocked Energy

Autumn Energy Cleanse; Clear Your Blocked Energy

by | May 30, 2022 | Detox, Environment, Healthcare & Wellbeing Tips, Increase Energy, Womens Health

One of the things Alexis and I are passionate about is nurturing and cleansing our bodies through the power of nature. An Autumn energy cleanse is but one example. As humans, we are closely connected with and directly affected by the rhythms of nature.  These rhythms can be seen in the cycles of the moon and the tides, as well as in the seasons. We can learn from the lessons nature shows us. Nature doesn’t attach stories, emotions or expectations. It simply and naturally follows the cycle of life. 

Seasonal Energy

Each season has its own energy and symbolism, which indicates where nature is in its annual cycle. Similarly, many cultures have traditions and beliefs reflecting the seasons and their symbolism. Take this time of year, for example mid-Autumn (in the southern hemisphere). The Christian faith celebrates Easter, while the Jewish faith celebrates Passover. Both are uniquely symbolic of the cycle of life, birth, death and renewal. Each faith naturally taps into the cycles of the season, and uses its energy to strengthen and nourish.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine philosophy, the season of Autumn is about releasing and renewal. Like the leaves released from the trees in Autumn. The orange, red and yellow leaves fall from the branches in a beautiful rain of colour that can gently swish around you. You can allow these leaves to help you let go of what you no longer need, to make room for anew.  Nature prepares for the coming changes, by shedding what it no longer needs. You can do the same! Like nature, it’s time to clear out what is no longer revitalising, and to free yourself from the things you’ve been afraid to let go of.

Energy Channels in Traditional Chinese Medicine

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, we have energy channels throughout our bodies. These energy channels, known as Meridian channels, support our body, mind, spirit and emotions. There are twelve main channels, grouped in pairs, with the exception of one set of four meridians. Each set is associated with characteristics, including:

  • a season
  • an element
  • a primary function.
  • an emotion (that we may feel if the energy becomes stuck.) 

Chinese medicine meridian channels

The Autumn Meridians

In Autumn, the lung and large intestine meridians, in the metal element are at their strongest. If our energy gets stuck, you can suffer with the emotion of grief. But the counterpoint or the power and primary function of the energy of the metal element is letting go. This enables you to release negative energy, so you can rejuvenate and refresh.

If we think about the function of our large intestines and lungs, this starts to make sense. Our large intestines help eliminate waste from our bodies, after we’ve absorbed all the nutrients from our food. Our lungs expel the old used air, in the form of carbon dioxide. This leaves (pun intended) room for the new air you inhale to bring fresh oxygen to be absorbed into your bloodstream. So the lungs and large intestines have a similar purpose. They both absorb vital compounds that we need to survive, and release what we do not need. Tapping into this energy of metal and Autumn, of the lung and large intestine meridian channels, can help us do the same thing in our lives.  So let’s delve a bit deeper into the functions of the lung and large intestine meridians:

Autumn Leaves chinese medicine and meridians

The Lung Meridian

  • Receiver of pure Chi.  It’s our connection to the heavens and all that is spiritual. This meridian helps us to see and appreciate the quality in ourselves, others and the outside world – it is the source of true self esteem. You might remember an earlier video where we spoke about expanding our posture, which expands our lungs; and breathing deeply, to lift our spirit, and boost our self esteem. If you missed it, check it our here (add link).

The Large Intestine Meridian

  • In charge of the waste system for the body, mind and emotional self. The large intestine also helps ensure we have space for the new by getting rid of the old. This meridian affects our ability to let go of what is no longer needed in all aspects of our life.

 5 Cleansing Techniques, Using the Metal Energy of Autumn.

 

1. Balance

It’s important to create a balance of giving and receiving. A period of rest, followed by a period of growth. Create a balance of inhalation and exhalation. 

You can also learn from nature by letting go of the stories and expectations  attached to your experiences, which can cause additional suffering. Live in the present moment with truth and acceptance. Practice letting go, trusting, and accepting, as you use the energy of the seasons, to help you move through your own seasonal cycle and energetic shift. 

 

2. Release thoughts, beliefs & behaviours that no longer serve you

We often think of spring as a time to clear, clean & declutter, but autumn has this connection even more. Allowing us to release things, thoughts, beliefs & behaviours that we no longer need. 

Sometimes I’d like to declutter people in my life too. But they are usually the people closest to us. They are the ones who unconsciously & mostly even unintentionally seem to know which buttons to press, to get under our skin. . 

Let me share a recent private challenge with you to illustrate my point. Just the other week, I had one of those days. I had to resolve a work progress issue with a member of our team, who’s a lifelong close friend. Much thought and preparation went into the meeting, which ultimately went well, and was uplifting for all involved. Although the process to get there was certainly taxing and an energy drain. As soon as I came out of that meeting, I found myself falling headlong into a misunderstanding with my mother.  Does this type of thing happen to you? Like someone is trying to teach you a lesson?

Over the years, these incidents have led me to search for strategies for forgiveness. And most of the time I realise there is at least an element of forgiving myself that I must address. This is, in my opinion, one of the reasons why it’s so powerful. Forgiveness is emotional release, just like the autumn leaves. Forgiveness, however, is not for the faint hearted, and although you may think it is, forgiveness is certainly not for other people. As Gandhi says:

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

Practicing Autumn Breathing Cleanse Technique

Three strategies that I have found, that work best for me, are:

(i) Breath Cleansing

One of the best and simplest ways to strengthen your lungs is deep breathing. Especially outdoors, in the brisk autumn air. This nurtures and nourishes your immune system, supports your energy, and promotes good sleep. When you breathe deeply and deliberately, you flush your cells with the oxygen needed for all your bodily processes. Promoting the process of releasing and rejuvenating. Your lungs interact directly with the outside environment through your nose, mouth and skin pores. This plays an important role in fighting off external pathogens, like viruses and bacteria. As the temperature drops and winds become dry, you may notice cold or flu-like symptoms, such as a stiff neck, body aches, chills, fever, sore throat, headache, cough and runny nose. Existing skin conditions, such as eczema or psoriasis, may get aggravated, and asthma or allergy reactions may flare. Now is the time to strengthen our Chi, energy, to prepare for winter.  

        Let’s get breath cleansing:

  • Consider each breath out, as a time for releasing any unwanted energies and developing the energy you desire. 

This is your time to heal and let go. You can be open to letting go of anything that no longer serves you. Focus on the simple in and out breath. A longer out breath will help you relax if you feel stressed or emotional.

  • With every breath out, you can let go.

  Release anything that holds you back or no longer serves you.

  • Now is the time to release and surrender.

Imagine as the leaves float to the ground, as the gentle breeze is carrying them. Along with these leaves, allow this breeze to carry what you no longer need. Feel the safety in this energy of releasing, to prepare for a renewal period and to make room for what is coming. 

  • Without falling leaves, there can be no new growth.

So…ground yourself in nature, close your eyes and breathe deeply as you feel the weight being lifted while you let go. Let go of anger, free all guilt. Liberate your grief. Release sadness. Free any judgments. Remove comparisons. Let go of shame. Unburden yourself of whatever is weighing you down. These emotions may have served you in the past, they may have protected you in some way, but now give yourself permission to release them. 

  • Should you have persistent negative thoughts invade your release cleanse.

Simply thank the thought for sharing. This helps it feel acknowledged. If it persists, rephrase or reframe it by adding “up until now” or “yet” to encourage it to feel heard. If it remains, then tighten your face and fists up on the in breath and release and relax on the out breath.

Autumn Cleanse Forgiveness and release 3 methods
  • Take another deep breath in, and as you breathe out feel the release.

Like the colourful leaves that fall from the branches. Feel a heavy weight being lifted from your shoulders. Like clearing out unwanted clutter from your mind.  

  • Now you have released everything you no longer need.

You feel a lightness, a calm feeling of inner peace. You look around you see the wind has stopped. The leaves have all fallen, and the forest of your mind is calm and still. 

(ii) Visualisation – Based on Forgiveness Visualisation by Vishen, at Mindvalley 

Forgiveness is when you let go of your resentment towards an individual or situation. Start by seeing the individual in front of you. As long as you sense they are there, it doesn’t matter if you cannot get a clear picture of their face. When you see them, remember that we are all connected.

  • Repeat the following phrase in your mind: “I forgive you and I ask you to forgive me”. 
  • Take a deep breath and as you exhale, feel your forgiveness flow to them, feel whatever resentment, anger or rage, release from your body.  
  • Now imagine this person telling you the same thing. “I forgive you, and I ask you to forgive me”. As they say it, take in a deep breath, and as you exhale, feel all regrets, resentment and rage, release from your body. 
  • Sometimes, if it is a deep, more painful memory, it can take longer to feel you’ve forgiven the person. Forgiveness is a trainable skill. One day, with practice, forgiveness will come. When you forgive, you improve your own health and you improve your own happiness in your life. 
Forgiveness and Release

(iii) Hawaiian Ho’ Oponono Technique

Simply say, or write these statements, with feeling (and whilst holding an image of the person you’re forgiving), in your heart and mind:

  • I’m sorry
  • Please forgive me
  • I love you
  • Thank you

Sometimes I practice these exercises in the safety and privacy of home. Other times, it can be a virtually immediate and deliberate response in the moment. When this is possible, it’s a great feeling, to let go, and not have it over my head for the rest of the day.

Autumn Release Acupressure Points

 3. Pressure Points & Brushing

If you have a thought that won’t budge, or a habit or behaviour that persists, try using acupressure points as well as the above practices. Even a meridian brush can amplify your results and improve your ability to release.  Also, notice if you wake up at night… What time is it? To help release the energy, you can brush your meridian channels, along your arms. 

  • Waking between 3:00 – 5:00am 

This is when lung energy is most active. Brush the inside of your arm from your shoulder to your thumb.  

  • Waking between 5:00 – 700am 

Focus on your large intestine meridian. Lightly brush with your fingers, from your pointer finger, all the way along the back of your arm, up your neck, and across to your opposite nostril.  You can also press acupressure points on yourself at home to strengthen your body, mind, and spirit. These metal points can help you let go of anything you no longer need. Releasing physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual tension, as well as strengthening you from the inside out, to boost your personal composure. You can activate these acupressure points to clear stuck energy and emotions by stroking or pressing on the points. Let’s do it together now.  See the diagram:  Large Intestine1 (LI1)  and Lung 8 (Lu8).

  • LI1 – On the radial (also thumb) side of the index finger, about 0.1 finger width posterior to (towards the back of the hand) from the corner of the nail.
  • Lu8 – On the anterior (inside) forearm. Follow the line from the lateral (outside) edge of your thumb nail, to the depression at the base of the styloid process (wrist bone). 1 finger width above the transverse crease (across) your wrist.
  • To invigorate the energy, press these points gently  3 – 7 times.

Acupressure point
Autumn Cleanse nutritional support

4. Nourish with Nutritional Support of this season to Strengthen Your Body and Immunity

Healthy foods that can be easily added to many dishes, to further nourish our bodies, include: bay leaves, garlic, horseradish, leek, ginger, capers. They can support our lungs and boost our immune systems, naturally.

 

5. Allied Health Team Support

To strengthen your immune system and entire body, consider a ‘tune-up’ with a visit to your preferred professional practitioners. An osteopath, naturopath, acupuncturist or transformational massage therapist will be a complimentary support for your holistic Autumn cleanse. 

Wishing You Happiness and Strength This Autumn!

If you knew that you could, which aches and pains in your body, would you let go of?

If you were courageous enough, what thoughts, ideas or habits would you release?

Let us guide you along your wellbeing journey BlossomingMe is a holistic health service located on Sydney’s Upper North Shore.

Our specialised Remedial Massage Therapist and Osteopath offer a fully integrated approach, which assesses and addresses the specific issues in your body. With a clear understanding of your goals, we treat both mind and body to help you live your best life.

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Dealing with Overwhelm

Dealing with Overwhelm

by | May 23, 2022 | Environment, Healthcare & Wellbeing Tips, Increase Energy, Massage, Pain

What is Overwhelm?

At some point in our lives, most of us have felt that all-encompassing feeling that everything is “a lot” or too much. Sometimes it feels like your head could just explode, sometimes it feels like you just want to run away, other times you feel like crying because you have been under so much stress (whether that is work, family life, or your health) that you are completely overcome with emotion, but not in a good way.

This is overwhelm.

How Many Things Can We Handle?

Is your closet too full?

No, I’m not talking about decluttering or clearing out your wardrobe; I’m talking about clearing your life. Reducing that sense of overwhelm that’s been paralysing you.

I recently heard a fabulous description of overwhelm: simply having too many hangers in our already full closet. Let me explain. If we put one task from our project or item from our to-do list, for instance, on each hanger, how many hangers can we fill at one time without stressing out or hitting overwhelm?

Well, usually, the answer is about 5-7.

Why? Because that’s commonly how many things our unconscious mind can handle at any one time. If we have a shopping list, a phone number to remember, or some other task, we can usually recall up to 5-7 things. Anything more than that often gets lost or forgotten.

Anything more than 5-7 often stresses us OUT!

Ultimately, if we do this regularly, it can reduce our resilience levels, patience, ability to concentrate, and more over time.

Woman overwhelmed by closet

What Happens When We Have Too Much Going On

 

You know when you have too many programs running on your computer, and it starts to slow down – this is what our body does when we’re overwhelmed.

You may recognise the signs of overwhelm such as:

  • Forgetfulness
  • Confusion
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Mental slowness
  • A racing mind
  • Impaired ability to problem solve
  • Inability to think logically
  • General irritability

When this overwhelm occurs over a period of time, we can also suffer from cognitive or nervous fatigue, which I spoke about in our last blog.

When this happens, the symptoms of overwhelm are usually heightened and can make us feel even more overwhelmed simply from feeling like we can’t function how we think we should be. It becomes a vicious cycle.

Recognising What Is Causing Your Overwhelm

One of the first keys to dealing with overwhelm is to recognise what is causing it. If you look at what is going on for you, in different areas of your life, you can often pinpoint what the leading cause of your overwhelm is. Some common ones are:

  • Work
  • Family life
  • Financial
  • Illness
  • Injury
  • Relationships

It may be one, it may be two, it may be all, but regardless, working out what is causing your overwhelm is where you need to start.

Going back to our coat hanger analogy, it can sometimes look or feel like certain issues or tasks take up more than just one coat hanger. Some things can feel much more significant than others, meaning they leave less space for you to cope with other things. Pain, for example, especially when it’s constant, can be very pervasive. It can feel like it’s taking up several coat hangers at once, leaving only one or two coat hangers available for actual tasks to “hung on” – this is part of why we feel like we have such a short fuse when we’re unwell or in pain.
Taking up lots of hangers

How To Deal with Overwhelm

Now you have identified what is causing your overwhelm, let’s look at what you can do to help reduce the load.

Set Boundaries

Are you taking on too much with work? When you really need to be saying no, do you say yes to everything? Are you staying back late to finish everything off? It’s time to stop and put boundaries in place that allow your work to be done during your work hours and not for hours beyond that. Are you really the only one that can take on ALL the extra work, or can you say, “no, I can’t do that right now”?

Taking on more and more work and not getting adequate downtime will leave you, you guessed it, overwhelmed and essentially unproductive, likely causing you even more overwhelm!

Are You a Perfectionist?

Do you find yourself stressing over things and constantly thinking, “this could be better” or “I could do better”? The problem with this thinking is that you spend so much time analysing and stressing over that one task, that you fall behind in all the other things you still need to do, which causes your overwhelm to grow when things start piling up.

Sometimes you need to step away and say, “this is good enough.”.

 

Have You Tried Delegating?

If you’re a perfectionist, it can be hard to hand over tasks for someone else to complete; however, in doing so, you will free up time for yourself, and you can concentrate on what you specifically need to be doing. Whether than be a project at work that you can delegate tasks out to other team members, a part of your business that you can outsource to outside support, or asking family members to bring a dish at the Christmas or birthday celebration instead of taking on all the cooking yourself.

Imagine how much time you could get back and how much calmer your mind could be if you let a few things go.

Busy brain and time

Are You Catastrophising?

Do you think the worst when things don’t quite go to plan? “If I don’t cover all the tasks myself in this project, it won’t be done right and will fail.”, “Aunty Sue forgot the salad last time, and it completely ruined the day, I can’t let that happen again.”, “If I don’t say yes to all the jobs, they will think I’m not good at my job.”.

Take a deep breath! Will the project really fail if someone else helps out, was the family function indeed ruined, and are you sure they will think you’re not good at your job, or are these all assumptions in your head?

Simply becoming aware of these thoughts can help you let go of them. When they happen, take a minute to take a step back from the situation, catch your breath and then look at it again. Even have a chat with someone else about it for a rational and logical perspective.

Break Down the Tasks

Another element of this clever coat hanger analogy is how we deal with big projects. Chunking them down. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time – and that’s how we get projects completed, especially large ones. When we prioritise tasks, using the 80/20 rule (when 80% of your results come from 20% of your effort) to order them, we get the biggest “bang”, or results, for our “buck” of given energy and focus, and then just choosing one or two things to focus on.

But the first step is to “chunk” or break the project into bite-sized tasks. If we don’t break them down small enough, the tasks end up “hanging” on more than one coat hanger, leading us back to that feeling of overwhelm. Have you ever tried to tackle a step in a project and not known where or how to begin?
Sometimes the first step is not to take the measurements of the wardrobe you want to rebuild the inside of. It’s going to buy the tape measure so that you can take them.

Are You Looking After Your Mind and Body?

Are you taking YOU time? As the saying goes, our body is a temple, and we must treat it accordingly. If you’re going to treat it like a garbage dump, that’s how you’re going to feel, so it’s time to practice some self care!

• Take time each day to move your body, whether that is through exercises, yoga, daily stretches, or even dancing around your kitchen.
• Enjoy some chill-out time – listen to music, meditate, read a book, relax in the bath.
• Practice gratitude – the simple act of taking time to look at what in your life you are grateful for can do wondrous things to calm a racing mind.
• Good posture is important! We have spoken previously about how good and bad posture positively and negatively impacts the body. We must practice good posture to help increase our energy levels and positive feelings.

Blossoming Me can help you with this, address your pain, and get you well on your way to feeling calmer and pain-free.

Based on Sydney’s North Shore, Osteopath, Alexis and, Remedial Massage Therapist, Sarah are experienced in helping patients on their well-being journey and would love to get you back to feeling yourself once more.

Contact us or book an appointment online by clicking the button below if you’re ready to get started.
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Is Nervous Fatigue Affecting You?

Is Nervous Fatigue Affecting You?

by | Apr 21, 2022 | Environment, Healthcare & Wellbeing Tips, Increase Energy, Massage, Pain

In our clinic, we see a lot of patients that have no one specific reason they have tight and sore muscles, joint stiffness and aches, and who are feeling tired and run down. One cause, and something not commonly realised, is nervous fatigue, and we are seeing more of this over the last couple of years. So, let’s talk about what nervous fatigue is, and what can be done to help.

What is Nervous Fatigue?

Nervous fatigue is a type of fatigue caused by excessive emotional stress – think studying or working for long periods without a break, dealing with overwhelming responsibilities over a significant period of time, living with mental health symptoms, and spending emotional and mental energy on worries, stress, and problems. While it isn’t uncommon to feel tired or even exhausted after a particularly mentally draining day, nervous fatigue isn’t something that a good night’s sleep can fix, and can have some rather intense effects.

Elements of Nervous Fatigue

According to Dr Claire Weekes, there are four elements to Nervous Fatigue – Physical, Emotional, Mental, and Spirit. Some people find that they are affected in just the one way, while others are affected in more than one way, and sometimes by all four.

Physical

Muscles rest in a state known as “tone”, a balance between relaxation and contraction. When muscles are held in a tense state, for long periods of time, this delicate balance of “tone” is upset. And this creates a build-up of the chemicals of fatigue, which leads to the aching muscles. Often a sense of muscle weakness follows as well.

Dr Weekes explains that although these bodily reactions are temporary and ultimately unimportant, a sufferer, who doesn’t understand what is going on, can become intensely fearful of these attacks. And this fear of the body’s reaction, becomes larger than the original fear of the situation, thing etc. This “anxiety state”, when the sufferer is afraid of the effects of fatigue, allows this fear to affect their life. At this point, Dr Weekes says, the Nervous Fatigue has become an illness.

Emotional

When nerves are subjected to stress for a long time, especially with strong emotions, like fear, they effectively become trained. As I’ve spoken about before, the more this neural pathway is fired or used, or higher the intensity of emotion, the bigger and stronger the pathway becomes. Therefore, it fires faster and more intensely, with even the slightest of provocations. Dr Weekes, refers to this as “Sensitisation”.

Journey to healing and recovery
All emotions can be intensified: fear, anger, sadness, guilt, as well as love and joy. What a roller coaster! All these exaggerated feelings are tiring for the sufferer. To a point, the body can adapt to the stress of the emotional ups and downs, as long as the adrenal glands can keep up supplying the adrenaline and other essential hormones. When they become depleted, it can lead to adrenal or hormonal depletion and complete exhaustion.

Mental

Most of us can flit lightly between our thoughts. From idea to idea, subject to subject. With mental fatigue, this simple act is not so easy. Their thoughts either come haltingly and slowly, feeling like each individual thought must be specifically selected, making thinking feel like a huge effort. Or they stick together, so that if they begin to think about a certain thing, it tends to feel very difficult to let it go – particularly if it has a strong emotion attached to it, like fear.

“When sensitisation and mental fatigue come together, throwing off frightening thoughts can seem impossible.”

Spirit

Especially if the unknowing sufferer has been trying to recover by fighting their way out of fatigue, they may lose their sense of purpose, and wonder if the struggle to go on is worth it. They don’t need much, a sliver is enough to begin, but it is hope and courage that they need to pull through.

“We all have this strength, this power within us, and it will work miracles if we trust it to.”

How To Overcome Nervous Fatigue

You can relieve this by releasing these 4 types of fatigue, in the same order they built up. This is something that will take time, as we have previously spoken about before, however it will yield great results.

Facing, is acknowledging that even though external guidance support can help, the cure must come from inside oneself.

Acceptance is allowing the body to loosen as much as possible. Moving into the body’s response and letting it come, rather than fighting it. Like being right in the centre of a hurricane, in the “eye” of the storm, where the storm swirls around but cannot reach them. But first they must go through the storm.

The initial instinct is fearful tension, withdrawal or rigidly pushing and forcing, which produces hormones that make the “Storm” feel even stronger and wilder. Facing and relaxing the body into the symptoms with acceptance, on the other hand, help to dampen and eventually stop them.

self care acupressure points
This “allowing” takes time. To feel and to allow. To be able to trust that it will indeed pass. When it comes, it creates peace of mind and confidence built, not in the absence of symptoms, but the deep knowing, even in their midst, that they will pass.

Dr Weekes describes floating very much like breathwork or a visualisation. Allowing the body to relax and go as loose and limp as possible. Then deeply breathing in and slowly exhaling, whilst imagining gently floating, as if on a cloud. Allowing muscles to loosen and release.

Floating creates a sense of relaxation, but it also encompasses, Facing and Accepting, with grace and gentleness.
Dr Weekes says that “Physical support can help more than just physical pain”. Who knew?

Keep it light and simple – eg going to the gym – don’t go crazy making up for time you haven’t been, like the last 4 months during lockdown. Or as a therapist, light and gentle, through to firm, but don’t go hell for leather.

Personal connection is vitally important. What a surprise, she says! Whilst sufferers can overload and get tired very quickly, leaving them to their own devices to relax etc for hours or days at a time, is actually unsupportive. That whilst they may only have the energy reserves to do some activity, some activity is actually essential. Both from the point of view that leaving them to their own devices leaves far too much time for them to fall into negative, energy draining trains of thought, where they can expect the worst, beat themselves up, and generally lose energy.

And because doing things, an exercise or activity of choice, leads to having more energy, do what you can, within your limits, for yourself. In this way, building your own confidence that you can Face the fear. Let it pass.

“One finds strength quicker when active than when lying on the couch waiting for it to come”

 

Utilise our subconscious mind, in the form of simple routines and habits. Again, less is more. Rather than trying to stay relaxed all day, choose a set time, just once a day, to relax or meditate or whatever calming activity you like to do, then let it go for the rest of the day. Don’t worry about it, don’t even think about it. Slowly this will create a habit of success – what a surprise!

Even a short daily routine, like cleaning your teeth, can work. This simple action can give you something to do, something for the mind to focus on. Particularly if you use a manual toothbrush rather than an electric one that buzzes and vibrates in your head. This can help “calm the whirlwind within.”

Journey to healing and recovery
Emotional and hormonal exhaustion aren’t helped much by rest. Only by reducing stress. This is where we must “Face” our fears. Gently and with acceptance, not defensively.

We can gently change our mood. With acceptance, with time, and by moving through them gently, “floating” and allowing. I recall Louise Hay, motivational speaker and author, used to say that if you sit with an emotion and just allow it to pass through you, it usually only takes 10 minutes. Whilst for fatigue sufferers that may seem like a life time, simply allowing, rather than fighting them, will allow energy reserves to be maintained and the emotional energy to be released, rather than held and stored in the body.

Supporting the Spirit through the process; this is the part that sufferers really need help with, as a completely exhausted spirit has no inner source of joy to lift them from inside.

  • Help molehills not turn into mountains. Don’t trivialise their issues, but help them move past them, to other ideas to focus on.
  • Help them to float rather than fight through their journey.
  • Celebrate small wins and encourage flashes of normality, as glimmers of hope to which they can cling to.

“Each of us has unsuspected power to accomplish what we demand of ourselves, if we care to search for it.” – Dr Claire Weekes

If this sounds like you, and you’re needing a little extra help with how to gain relief from your fatigue, osteopathy and massage can assist in getting you back to your usual self.

Feel free to get in touch with Sarah, who provides amazing remedial and therapeutic massage services, for some further advice and guidance, or click the button below to make an appointment.

Book An Appointment
Snives Hives

Snives Hives

by | Aug 28, 2018 | Environment, Healthcare & Wellbeing Tips

An Inside Peak into a Local Business

Lifting the Lid on Snives Hives

 

Andrew Wilson started beekeeping about 4 years ago when his wife bought him an introductory beekeeping course.

“What started as a bit of a hobby grew bit by bit as I noticed that beekeeping seemed to be an industry that had either people with a couple of hives in their backyard, or large scale commercial operations with thousands of hives. I felt that the people at the hobby level were unable to really do a lot for the protection and security of bees as a whole, and the commercial producers were relying on large numbers in order to make their businesses viable, which often led to those beekeepers being unable to provide the necessary care and attention to each of their colonies. I decided that there was space for someone in the middle, operating for the protection and preservation of the bee population within Australia through rescuing and re-homing hives that would otherwise be exterminated. With this in mind, I started Sydney Bee Rescue to spread the word that there was an alternative to pest control companies. All of my honey is produced through my rescue hives in St Ives (under the Snives Hives label) and my apiaries in the central coast state forests and other hives throughout suburban Sydney (under the Sydney Bee Rescue label). The number of hives that I have only grows with the number of rescued beehives, which means that saving the bees is still the priority.”

What I like about Andrew is that he is an advocate for Bees, he is authentic, careful and he loves to share his hives with his customers. If you or your little one want to walk around and see the Hives you are getting your honey from and what happens to it. Andrew can show you.

“My honey is pure and raw. It is cold processed to maintain the antimicrobial and nutritional properties of the honey. I don’t use any plastic in my hives, the bees prefer dealing with natural materials, so that is what they get.”

If you wanted to know a bit about Andrew,  he works as an international airline pilot on the Boeing 747. Beekeeping is his hobby. He has a Masters of Science and Technology (UNSW) and is completing a Master Beekeeper accreditation at Cornell University in New York.

People wishing to purchase honey should contact me directly:

Phone: 0410440042

Email: sniveshives@gmail.com

Facebook: Snives Hives

People with a bee problem, should contact me on:

Phone 0410440042

Email: sydneybeerescue@gmail.com

The relevant websites are:

www.sniveshives.com.au

www.sydneybeerescue.org

 

If Honey and its benefits is of interest to you, take a look at this blog: Honey a Treat or a Treatment

If the environmental impact and ethical issues associated with Honey is of interest to you, read this blog: Whats All The Buzz About Bees and the Environment

 

What’s all the Buzz about Bees and the Environment?

What’s all the Buzz about Bees and the Environment?

by | Aug 28, 2018 | Environment, Healthcare & Wellbeing Tips

So, if you read my last honey blog, you may agree that honey could be useful, in moderation as a regular part of a healthy diet, but which honey and why and how does it affect the environment?

Well, there could be many views, about the use of honey, let’s start by discussing ethical considerations. We’ll look into the environmental effects and then look at what type of honey to choose.
Some people, including Vegans will not eat honey as it is processed by insects – not plants. Those who are Vegan for ethical reasons, do so as it can be a minefield finding honey, especially in the supermarkets that is real, unadulterated honey – created by bees that haven’t been harmed, if you can take yourself away from realising that we are stealing their food stores (1, 2).

Did you realise, that much of our forest plants (those we know about as well as those still undiscovered), food delicacies and mass farmed foods that we need for survival are dependent on pollination from insects such as butterflies and bees. Literally, without them, many of our orchards and farms wouldn’t survive, and the animals that eat the insects and plants will struggle or fall also.

Pop quiz, name 5 plants that require bees to pollinate and survive?

According to HoneyLove – a Los Angeles based bee keeping group that as lobbying for Bees, a SHORT list of foods we will lose if bees disappear includes (2)

  • Apples
  • Mangos
  • Rambutan
  • Kiwi Fruit
  • Plums
  • Peaches
  • Nectarines
  • Guava
  • Rose Hips
  • Pomegranites
  • Pears
  • Black and Red Currants
  • Alfalfa
  • Okra
  • Strawberries
  • Onions
  • Cashews
  • Cactus
  • Prickly Pear
  • Apricots
  • Allspice
  • Avocados
  • Passion Fruit
  • Lima Beans
  • Kidney Beans
  • Adzuki Beans
  • Green Beans
  • Orchid Plants
  • Custard Apples
  • Cherries
  • Coconut
  • Celery
  • Coffee
  • Walnut
  • Cotton
  • Lychee
  • Flax
  • Acerola cherries
  • Macadamia Nuts
  • Sunflower Oil
  • Goa beans
  • Lemons
  • Buckwheat
  • Figs
  • Fennel
  • Limes
  • Quince
  • Carrots
  • Persimmons
  • Palm Oil
  • Loquat
  • Durian
  • Cucumber
  • Hazelnut
  • Cantaloupe
  • Tangelos
  • Coriander
  • Caraway
  • Chestnut
  • Watermelon
  • Star Apples
  • Tangerines
  • Tomatoes
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Cabbage
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Bok Choy (Chinese Cabbage)
  • Turnips
  • Congo Beans
  • Sword beans
  • Chili peppers, red peppers, bell peppers, green peppers
  • Papaya
  • Safflower
  • Sesame
  • Eggplant
  • Raspberries
  • Elderberries
  • Blackberries
  • Clover
  • Tamarind
  • Cocoa
  • Black Eyed Peas
  • Vanilla
  • Cranberries
  • Grapes
  • Boysenberries
  • Starfruit
  • Brazil Nuts
  • Beets
  • Mustard Seed
  • Rapeseed

How are we negatively affecting bees?

Well this is a big topic, so I’ll try to be complete, clear and succinct.

  1. Inhumane Bee Keeping Practices (3)
    1. They are often cramped into smaller spaces than they naturally would provide for themselves
    2. They are often injured (in order to make life easier for the bee keepers)
      1. When collecting the honey, if care isn’t taken, many bees lose their wings and or legs
      2. The hives and bees are set on fire
        1. If the company feels that it’s too costly keeping a hive through winter (when little or no honey is made – that’s when they use their honey as a food source!).
  • Cut off the queen bee’s wings
    1. To stop her from leaving
    2. To stop the process of “swarming” – when a new queen bee is born in nature, the old queen bee and half the hive will leave to start a new colony (that the worker bees found).
      1. As this reduces honey production, the practice has been to either clip the wings of the new queen and/or kill and replace the old queen
    3. Negatively affect the health of bees
      1. If they are not killed off during the low production winter, they are often fed a sugar substitute, instead of the precious honey they made. This does not contain all the nutrients that they require to be healthy (3)
      2. Pesticides in the environment and sprayed on the plants they collect pollen from
        1. Causes Colony Collapse Disorder CCD – where the bees die from the poison – either via disorientation and inability to find way back to the hive, or via toxicity back at the hive (2)
      3. Ecological/ecosystem disruption (1)
        1. Bees (and other pollinating insects such as butterflies) are necessary to pollinate a large variety of vegetation – both of our food supply and in the wild
          1. Loss of these creatures mean less variety of food and less food in general
          2. Loss of vegetation species in forests mean
            1. overgrowth by less desirable plants is more likely
            2. extinction of many animals whom are dependent on lost varieties
            3. up the ecosystem, carnivores dependent on the animals made extinct will struggle or become extinct also
            4. a massive change to the whole ecosystem, creating changes and difficulties in many and unpredictable ways – leading at best, to changes we will struggle to deal with

 

A loss of bees, would obviously also mean that humans are deprived of the use of

  • honey as a potentially healthful addition to our diets and a natural first aid and wound treatment option (1)
  • wax – a natural and healthier alterative to toxic waxes in candles; useful in natural would healing salves and useful in making natural, non-toxic products such as crayons (1)
  • even the venom, made from the stingers that are used in treatments not only for stings and allergic reactions to stings but also showing potential in pain management for conditions such as arthritis (1)

Talking to local bee keepers,

I found that they tend to be passionate about Bees and their welfare! Some even collect bees that would otherwise have been fumigated from roof cavities etc to save these important creatures, while dealing with the infestation that is affecting a local family.
Honey purity and its potential benefits has become more well-known and accepted and as such, there are more people actively looking for raw and organic honey. This improves the market, allows small apiarists to survive and sends a message to the larger honey companies that created mass production, at a cost to the bees and the integrity, purity and benefits of honey, as well as improving the life of honey-bees and supporting our ecosystem which likely, will not survive the extinction of bees.

Hopefully it would be evident then, that when purchasing honey, a conscious decision is needed. As close to natural, unheated or raw (to keep enzymes and nutrients active), organic (if that is possible) to minimise pesticides that are potentially dangerous to humans and bees and comes from a place that treats the bees and hives ethically, naturally and with care. Local is even better – first, because it will likely be supporting passionate and caring small business bee keepers. Second, because if it is local, there is a smaller ecological footprint with regard to travel. Third because it means you get fresher, and in my opinion tastier and healthier honey, that may also benefit your immune system (especially pollen-based allergy issues) due to the honey being produced from plants native to your area (and part of the pollen that you breath in) as well as honey’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant rich benefits. And best of all, it supports bees and a delicate and important ecosystem that we are dependent on and a part of!

For more info in Australia, particularly Sydney see
https://saveourbees.com.au/
For where to buy local honey in Australia see
https://www.aussieapiaristsonline.net/local-honey-for-sale.html

References:
1 – https://www.copenhagencvb.com/copenhagen/why-bees-and-bees-pollination-are-important-ecosystem-and-humans
2 – https://honeylove.org/list-of-food/
3 – https://www.petakids.com/food/honey/

If you’d like to learn more about the healthful benefits of Honey, read this blog: Honey, a Treat or a Treatment

 

To take a closer look inside a local Apiary vist: Snives Hives