CHAPTER 13
EXTRA TOOLS IN YOUR TOOLBOX

In the world of health, there are so many things to talk about that it’s hard to know where to draw the line. Ultimately, I think all we want is to feel utterly fabulous each and every day and have as much energy as possible in order to maintain brain power, to build our new business, have a ton of babies, fly helicopters, meet new friends, sail round the world, run a marathon, meet the Queen, fall in love, plant a herb garden, climb a mountain, do a skydive, learn how to cook, perform on stage, learn a new language, change jobs, go scuba diving, attend a music festival! Whatever your wants and wishes, the art of giving your body what it needs to stay in the best shape possible is one that you can and will develop over time. So here are a few extra things you can have up your sleeve to help you in your journey getting there.

Sprouting seeds

Adding sprouted seeds into your diet could be one of the most health‐enhancing additions you can make. They are 100% natural and pure and one of the most healthful, economical, life‐force energy foods you can have. The key to successful sprouting is making sure you rinse and drain well, and that way you will never be without the perfect sprouts to sprinkle on your food, eat as a snack, or add to your smoothies. Investing in some proper sprouting jars is highly advisable. This is a really good investment for the years of use you can obtain from them. You only need two jars and can continuously produce amazing superfoods with this method.

Sprouting is an alternative word for germinating but sprouting goes beyond that and results in a partially grown young plant. You can sprout anything from nuts, seeds (such as radish, kale, broccoli, etc), beans, pulses, legumes, or grains. The benefit of sprouting is that it provides enhanced amino acids, vitamins, and minerals for your body in a very natural way. When a seed is soaked, the plant’s enzyme inhibitors are removed and a whole chain of reactions begins. As the plant grows at a rapid rate, the vitamin content increases dramatically, to the point where the sprouted seed can contain hundreds and thousands of times more nourishment than it did previously. Then the protein, carbohydrates, and fats begin to break down into a predigested form. The enzymes of each seed, bean, nut, or grain also skyrocket, making sprouts one of the richest enzyme foods on the planet.

They can help with many ailments, such as digestive issues and immunity problems, boosting your circulation, and improving your heart health, your eyesight, your bone, skin, and muscle strength, and halting premature ageing. The best and most health‐enhancing sprouts to begin with are: broccoli seeds, radish seeds, mung beans, lentils, fenugreek, chickpeas, and quinoa. As an example of their enormous goodness, a three‐day old broccoli sprout contains between 20 and 100 times more goodness than the broccoli itself. That’s not to say you should stop eating broccoli, but having the sprouted seeds too is going to give you such a nutritional hit of amazingness, it would be crazy not to. Sprouted seeds contain chemicals that disarm free radicals, preventing harmful diseases, and give the body the fighting materials that it needs to stay energetic and well.

It’s really easy to do if you follow these simple rules. Make sure the jar that you choose is clean and oil free. Use just a small handful of one type of seeds (because they expand in the jar). Pour clean water onto your seeds, up to an inch over the level of the seeds. Then cover the jar (if it’s not a professional sprouting jar) with a mesh lid. All that matters here is that nothing else can get into the jar except air. And that is a must! Leave the jar with the water in to soak overnight.

The next morning, drain off the water thoroughly and rinse the contents of your jar. Drain off the water by preferably leaving the jar upside down. This is the point at which your sprouting could potentially go wrong. If you do not drain properly and leave them in water your seeds could go rancid before they sprout (you would smell it if this happens). You must drain and leave them without water. You then need to rinse your sprouts twice a day, draining each time. Leave them in the light, but not in direct sunlight. Within two to five days your little seeds will be showing baby shoots, and this is when they are ready to eat. Then you can pop them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge. They will last for at least five days! You can then begin sprouting your next new jar so you always have an array of fresh sprouts on the go and can add them to everything you eat!

Dry skin brushing

This is great for the appearance of your skin as well as detoxing. One of the best ways I know to help you get fabulous‐looking skin on your legs, bum, tum, and arms is skin brushing. This technique can be used whether you are male or female and it is not just about vanity. Your skin is an important route of elimination, and on an average day can get rid of at least 10% of your metabolic waste. That’s why the Chinese call it the third lung. The lymphatic system does not have a pump in the way the blood has the heart, so skin brushing helps to stimulate the lymphatic system to enable toxins to be removed from the body. After all, it is the build‐up of toxins and acids within the body that create disease, so it is vital to keep everything flowing within the body to remain healthy. Life is constantly moving and that is how our bodies should function, too. Never standing still or stagnating. Skin brushing removes dead skin cells on the surface allowing the skin to breathe and also improves the texture and appearance, giving you a firmer and more glowing look and feel. Skin is extremely absorbent, like a large sponge, and care also needs to be taken when using anti‐perspirants, as they can clog up the lymph under the arm and allow the introduction of heavy metals like aluminum into the body.

Skin brushing is a great way of making changes to give you better health if you do it daily. You will need a non‐synthetic bristle that can be found in most good health stores. It is helpful to choose one with a long detachable handle so you can reach your back. Start on the soles of the feet, and then brush in small strokes up the feet, ankles, calves, thighs, and buttocks. Then brush up the front and back of the torso as far as the heart. Work up the hands and arms and then down the neck, chest and upper back to the heart. Avoid brushing the face, as the skin is too sensitive and only brush gently over the breast area.

Hot and cold showers

Combining both hot and cold water when you shower has amazing therapeutic benefits for your body. When cold water hits the body it causes the blood to move closer to the inner organs to keep them warm. This increases the overall blood circulation in your body. The cold water also helps to reduce stress by numbing the nervous system and rejuvenating the skin. It boosts the immune system and leaves you feeling more energetic because cold water increases your oxygen intake and heart rate, leaving you feeling ready for the day! The hot part of your shower can help to reduce tension in your muscles and is a great stress reliever. It can help relieve congestion and can also improve blood flow by expanding blood vessels. This is a great combination and can work wonders for your energy levels. I would suggest one minute each of hot and cold for 10 minutes per day.

Make your mealtimes sacred

It’s easy to have mealtimes turn into a business, quick to eat so that we can move on to the next activity. Perhaps in the chaos you’ve lost family mealtimes all together? There are real benefits to sitting down and enjoying a meal with the people you love. Mealtimes should be a candlelit, sacred celebration of the day’s events, a time for sharing stories, dreams, and a time to grow as a family, or as a couple, or simply time to ‘be’ and reflect on your day. When you cook with love and eat with attention, you are taking in the very stuff of life. Also showing gratitude before each meal and blessing your food before you eat can give you a deeper level of appreciation. Some people have very little food, so when we have it in abundance it is certainly something to be thankful for.

Fasting and healing

Don’t panic, I’m not about to give you a religious education lesson, but I just wanted to point out a few connections between fasting and the way we feel about food and health, mentally and physically. Fasting has been carried out for centuries and is now considered one of the best and fastest ways to heal the body from disease and ailments. It is without doubt one of the most powerful tests you can do within yourself. True fasting brings humility and alignment with the earth we live in and of all the things we can do to enhance our power and focus it is one of the most effective.

Fasting is not easy, and of course, there are degrees of fasting. The physical pain we experience is due to the detoxification of our bodies. All the accumulated poison and rubbish starts to come into our blood and to begin with we feel dreadful. It’s a very good lesson, since so many of us use food as an emotional crutch to give pleasure, drowsiness, satisfaction, and/or escape. Fasting instead teaches you to look inside yourself and maybe face other painful issues in your life. Great spiritual victories are won or lost on our willpower and you will experience weakness at times, but it’s an amazing feeling in the end to overcome temptation and it leaves us with the feeling of being stronger and more in control. So, whether it means giving up your favourite daily chocolate bar, or not eating every day until lunch time, or a full‐on 30‐day juice fast, if you can break those emotional ties to the food you love, you will feel better for it.

Get a dose of sea air

Living on the coast improves your health. It’s a fact! I always thought my love of the sea was because I grew up living next to the ocean. Surely it’s about the mental connection with childhood memories and carefree days? The mere sight of the water calms me and makes me feel happy, and the smell in the air just makes me feel at home.

In fact this is a real thing. Sea air decreases stress and makes you feel great because of the minerals in the air and the negatively charged ions. Sea air contains a significant amount of negatively charged ions which make you feel good. Did you ever notice how you feel better, or even invigorated, after a lightning storm? The reason for this is the release of negative ions. Negative ions are molecules in nature, found in great numbers in places such as the forest or waterfalls. The ocean/sea spray, which is loaded with negative ions, helps strengthen immunological defence mechanisms, and the iodine in the ocean mist helps regulate the thyroid gland, increasing our ability to absorb oxygen and balancing serotonin levels, which are connected to our mood and stress levels, helping us feel happier and healthier.

We are constantly exposed to many positive ions (free radicals) from computers, electricity, television, etc., so this is why it is especially good to increase our exposure to negative ions as much as we possibly can. If you are very brave it’s also a fact that individuals who immerse themselves in the cold waters of the ocean at least three times a week increase their white blood cell count, the immune cells that help to fight infection.

Floss before bed

Using dental floss helps to prevent gum disease by removing pieces of food and plaque from between the teeth. If it’s left to build up you might notice sore or bleeding gums, and studies have shown links between a build‐up of dental plaque and heart disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, strokes, and lung disease. It’s a simple thing that you just need to get in the habit of doing. It takes 30 seconds of your time each day and the health benefits are enormous.

Clean your teeth with charcoal

Years ago, a friend of mine mentioned that his grandmother was 92 and had never had a filling, visited the dentist, or seen a hygienist. When I asked what her secret was, he said that she brushed her teeth with charcoal! I remember being horrified at the time as I couldn’t even imagine how disgusting that could be. After I looked into it a little more the idea seemed so positive I wanted to try it out. That was nine years ago and not a day goes by when I don’t use charcoal on my teeth. The best thing is that it has removed all the stains, leaves my teeth looking white and gleaming, and I have never had to go to the hygienist again! My gums are healthier than they have ever been – it’s honestly a miracle! It can be a little messy, but just brush with care and make sure you don’t splash it all over the place if you have a lovely white carpet! The trick is to have two toothbrushes. Use one to dip in your charcoal pot and get the black stuff onto your teeth. Brush as normal. Then secondly get your toothpaste on the clean brush and brush as normal. This will remove any black from the charcoal and you will never want to be without it again as your teeth and gums feel wonderful.

Use aromatherapy oils

I go through phases of using aromatherapy oils depending on my mood, and my needs, but I love the natural fragrances that they give off and always find it useful to be reminded of their wonderful benefits. When I go away on holiday I love to take with me the essential oils that I think will be most useful to me and my family, not to mention sprinkling the oils all over the room when I arrive in the apartment or hotel. It just freshens a place up and puts me in the mood for relaxation and fun! Aromatherapy oils should be used with a carrier oil when being applied to the skin, otherwise severe irritation or reaction can occur (and they should not be used during pregnancy). Examples of carrier oils are sweet almond oil, avocado oil, evening primrose oil, hemp seed oil, olive oil, and rose hip oil. Have you noticed a similarity between the carrier oils? They are all good enough to eat, and that’s exactly the kind of goodness you want on your skin. I remember someone telling me once, if you would not put it in your mouth, then don’t put it on the skin!

Essential/aromatherapy oils are usually distilled from leaves, bark, and roots. Here are my top six:

Frankincense – my favourite of all oils! This is an amazing anti‐stress oil used for nervousness, calming the brain, exhaustion, muscle pain, and insomnia. If you or your children are desperate to go to sleep simply rub a pea‐sized amount on the soles of your feet.

Grapefruit – great for sickness, constipation, indigestion, nausea, and jet lag.

Lavender – I love the smell of lavender and use it all the time. It’s soothing, calming, and wonderful for insomnia. It can be used to treat insect bites, blisters, dry skin, hay fever, headaches, heatstroke, rashes, and sunburn.

Lemon – this is great for the circulation if you have a long haul flight. It’s a fabulous disinfectant, and works really well for fatigue, heat exhaustion, jet lag, and feelings of low mood.

Peppermint – fantastic for colds and fevers, heat exposure, heatstroke, sunburn, toothache, nausea, and motion sickness.

Tea tree – this you should always have in your first aid kit, as it’s so useful and natural. Amazing for insect bites, blisters, disinfectants, infections, rashes, toothache, wounds, and mouth ulcers. You can use tea tree oil in small amounts directly on the affected area.

With all the oils just place a couple of drops of your desired oil into a palmful of carrier oil and rub into the skin, or burn a few drops in water in a special oil burner to be surrounded by those aromas all day long! So simple, yet so effective and completely natural.

Forgiveness

All of us, without exception, have been emotionally upset by someone, at some point in our lives. Whether it be a partner, mother, brother, father, sister, friend, we all have a story to tell. This is a harsh life lesson to learn, but it is how we deal with it that matters to our bodies in the long term. In order to forgive you must let go of your anger and negative thoughts and forgive the person deep within yourself, as well as outwardly. One of the benefits of forgiveness is lowering the amount of cortisol, therefore lowering the stress levels within our bodies that are so damaging to each and every cell. Forgiveness is also great for the heart – literally lowering both heart rate and blood pressure. Having a forgiving heart may lessen both emotional and physical pain. If you let go of the emotional trauma, chronic pain can actually disappear. It is also said that letting go of anger and applying true forgiveness is linked to significantly reducing your blood pressure.

Laughter

Have you noticed how much children laugh and how natural and, sometimes, how out of control it can be? It’s because they have no inhibitions and have the ability to live in the moment and let go! It is a proven fact that laughter creates positive energy amongst groups of people and helps to reduce blood pressure, stimulates the cardiovascular system, reduces muscle tension, and aids the respiratory system by increasing oxygen intake. Laughter increases endorphins, which make us feel happier and since they are the body’s natural painkillers, can help decrease moderate to severe pain. Laughter can stimulate the thymus gland, which helps the defence and immune system, protecting us from disease.

Whatever your situation, it seems there is a chemical benefit to the body in finding something to laugh about. Five minutes of laughter each day can cause a whopping 53% increase in your immunity, and even a few minutes of laughter have been found to have the same result as an hour in a relaxation class. Watch a funny movie, go to a comedy show, take your funniest friend out for lunch! Whatever it takes, find a way to laugh every day because it’s infectious, contagious, compelling, and the most desirable characteristic mentioned when people are asked what they love most in a partner!

Use natural products for your cleaning

Sparkling kitchens look great, but household cleaning products can cause health problems including rashes, wheezing, asthma, headaches, drowsiness, and general feelings of being unwell. Certain chemical components in cleaning products can be very toxic for the body if breathed in or absorbed through the skin. Using natural products is just as effective and much better for your health. Bicarbonate of soda is fantastic as an abrasive cleaner and also makes a great natural air freshener. Mix some with water and a few drops of essential oil, put in a plant sprayer, and squirt it round the room! Vinegar can also be used to clean windows and surfaces – and lemon juice can remove stains from work tops and leave them looking clean and bright.

Emotional support therapies

Indulge, embark, and involve yourself with whatever therapies work for you. I personally love EFT (emotional freedom technique) because it whips through years of talking and cuts straight to the chase when it comes to emotional issues. It’s a series of tapping techniques that you can do on yourself or with the help of a practitioner and is the quickest route to ridding your body of past traumas, events, and stuck emotions. Make sure you find yourself a good therapist with a trusted track record and that they come highly recommended. This is your emotional health we are talking about so do your research. The same goes for counsellors, psychotherapists, and hypnotherapists. In my experience with clients, looking after your emotional health is just as important as looking after your physical body, but the practitioner taking care of you has to be good! Such therapies can give you the strength to grow and learn from each and every experience.

Body work

Osteopathy and acupuncture. Again, in my experience it all comes down to the practitioner. I have met osteopaths with such a natural gift for healing that they give extraordinary treatments. Seeing an osteopath is not just about your back, or your latest neck injury. They are far more than that. They can get you grounded again, help release anxiety and depression, and create straight thinking when your brain feels muddled. I had an ex‐serviceman as a client a few years ago, and he had seen some horrific things. He was suffering from PTSD and it had affected his digestion to the point he could hardly eat due to the stress. He had been going from one consultant to another seeking help, and they were running out of answers. I popped him on the health testing machine in my clinic one day, and it was quite clear his diaphragm was restricting his digestion and liver through stress and trauma. Five trips to the osteopath and his digestion was back to normal. He implemented a good clean‐living diet and is right as rain to this very day.

When we treat the body holistically, and don’t try and separate each organ, we can get far better results, and sometimes the answers are not quite where you have been looking. Acupuncture, reiki, and reflexology are also all great examples of body work treatments you can use to help support and realign your body. Spend time looking after yourself. It is so important.