Easy Ways of Living!

I've found that far too many of us are walking around deficient in certain key things, such as vitamin D, and ferritin (iron stores).  It's not helped by the fact that too many doctors in the UK seem to ignore the importance of these and either do not include them when you go for a blood test, even when looking for causes of fatigue or other illness, or quite simply incorrect advice is given that you have an adequate level of x,y and z and no need to supplement. 

Sadly it's getting more and more common for me to hear how difficult it is for my clients to get an appointment at their GP practice. So if you're not feeling unwell but simply want to check your blood for various things then private blood testing can sometimes be easier, albeit will cost you directly. Some of the private blood testing companies will also provide a comment as to what the results may mean for you.  If in any doubt, or you are feeling unwell in any way then my advice is to always book a GP  appointment, 

A quick google search will give you options for private blood testing, such as Superdrug, Thriva, Medichecks. There are many more out there.

You can't beat getting your bare feet onto damp mud and grass (or wet concrete as my friend prefers) in order to ground yourself.  Grounding or earthing as it is known, drops your body's electrical potential difference to near zero, with the aim of lowering inflammation within the body. The result is better quality sleep and improved healing from disease.  If you don't fancy doing this or want to remain grounded for longer, then you can buy a grounding sheet to put on the bed, or a mat to stand on whilst you work. Lots of companies sell earthing products.  I use the earthing organic bed sheet from Rowland Earthing. I've used one for 4 years and wouldn't be without it.

There are also shoes that keep you grounded as you walk, such as from Naturcontact.

I cannot emphasise enough how essential this vitamin is to us for neurological, immune, bone health and muscle health. Check your levels!!

Sunlight seems to be rather rare in the South Yorkshire area over the past few years, even in summer there seems lots of cloud cover. Coupled with the fears associated with being out in the sun, lots of people enter autumn with inadequate levels of Vitamin D.

The NHS advises no more than 1000iu a day throughout winter. However I personally have needed up to 10x this amount throughout autumn, winter and early Spring. It is a fat soluble vitamin and so can get to toxic levels in the body, albeit my personal view is that we're more likely to be deficient. I suggest everyone tests their levels once a year eg autumn/winter to see where you are. Especially if you are ill or in pain.  Do not rely on the doctor saying it is "OK" - ask what the value is! NHS normal starts at 50nmol/l but generally better to aim for the mid-range so above 100 to be sure you have enough. I had weak and painful hands when at 52nmol/l and the doctor told me it was all fine.

Liquid or spray in mouth Vit D is better at being absorbed than tablets.  Combining with K2 helps with absorption. 

BetterYou do a range of spray vitamins.

There's also a growing school of thought that getting out in the early morning sun without wearing sunglasses, glasses or contact lenses helps with natural light entering the brain and triggering Vitamin D production within the body. I've no idea if this is true but I now do it - there's something veyr calming about being up and out observing nature in the morning light of sunrise.

This vitamin is usually included as part of most routine blood tests done by your  GP, so I don't often find my acupuncture clients that have had recent bloods are deficient in it and it's not been picked up.  However I have had clients in the past that were being treated for back and leg pain by the GP and their bloods were not checked.  One memorable client was suffering from advanced pernicious anaemia and incorrectly signed off with back pain. Fortunately I noticed that things seemed amiss and they went back to their GP and ended up in hospital having blood transfusions and B12 injections! 

So even if you think you know why you are ill, tired or have long running back or leg pain, always get physically checked by the GP and insist on full blood tests being done (including Vit D and ferritin please!).

The Pernicious Anaemia Society has more information here.

Like Vitamin D, Ferritin is often overlooked in routine blood tests, with some doctors preferring to look for signs of anaemia in other ways. I am proof that one can feel pretty rubbish, tired and breathless on minimal exertion whilst having no signs of anaemia, but having a low ferritin level. Different GPs had conflicting views as to whether my low ferritin was causing a problem (it was!).

Please note that sometimes levels as low as 10 or 15ug/l can be reported as being ok, especially in women. Cardiology teams and the private iron clinic we've used prefer people to be around 100ug/l in order to rule out any poor effects caused by the ferritin level.

If low, then your GP can prescribe iron tablets, or a liquid if you can't tolerate the tablets. If you can't tolerate the liquid iron (as in my case) then you might qualify on the NHS for an iron transfusion, Personally this was the best thing for me and straight away I felt more in my body, more energy and and unexpectedly my anxiety dropped,

I was ill for 24hours afterwards and this was associated with "iron flu" which is when the iron rushes into your cells so quickly it can trigger aches and a fever. Please speak to your doctor.

If the NHS can't provide you with an iron transfusion then you can approach the private clinics in the UK. Just "Google" iron transfusion services and you'll find a local private hospital. Spire is one such private hospital providing this service.  It is not cheap! But worth it in my view if you cannot increase your ferritin levels in other ways.

Taking vitamin C can help with ferritin absorption from your diet or supplements.

I love these! They are a fantastic way of easily getting magnesium into your body, I find my clients either love baths or hate them. This latter group often includes people that cannot keep still or who have to run in order to calm themselves down and they especially hate the idea of having a bath a couple of times a week! So to you fidgets out there, you only need to be in the bath water for around twenty minutes and the magnesium boost to your body will help with muscle  relaxation, hormonal balance, reduce headaches/migraines and can help reduce anxiety and palpitations. 

The published studies used a 10% solution, so in practice the standard advice is to use half a kilo of Epsom Salts per full bath. 

Seek your doctor's advice if you have kidney function problems. Caution also for children under the age of around 7. I do not know why this is so, but that's the advice. Obviously don't drink the bath water because you may well end up with diarrhoea! In the same way that Samuel Pepys the famous 17th Century diarist apparently did when he drank the waters of my home town, Epsom!!

I buy a 20kg sack of it from the EpsomSalts company.

B&M and Superdrug and other shops sell the smaller kilo bags.