So lovely to be heard. So great to have people out there asking questions. And being heard at the same time.

Mum has been an absolute ambassador for eating out in her new vegan lifestyle and has been brilliant at requesting what places can do for her - either ringing ahead/visiting in advance or asking on the day. Each time she's been really pleased with the options and returned often to find that more is available.

Today's trip to the Wheatley Arms again reinforced that. And not only that, there were two dishes available on the menu (one to come without the parmesan) that were naturally vegan.

Service was fabulous - friendly, helpful and engaging. As for myself, eating raw (whilst I've been corrupted by a certain person recently into cooked vegan and enjoyed some great meals, I want to return to fully raw for a while and regain that fantastic energy that comes with eating raw and exercising well), they were brilliant.  I requested what I'd like - they checked out options and then provided a beautiful salad of leaves, sweet potato, courgette, pepper and sundried tomatoes.

I've learnt over time that dressings make a salad, and as salads become a big part of eating raw I've learnt to make dressings. Restaurant dressings don't often do much for me so I take my own and then REALLY enjoy the salad they've provided.

Today's (new to me - I've had it as a raw soup before with more cucumber in - 1:1 ratio) was my mango and cucumber dressing which was fresh, light and tasty. And went well with the great salad I was brought.

Yum. It was a quick dash home for #homeopathyhour - the twitter driven chat hour that I run on a Monday evening, then maybe it was that I'd been out and the meal was smaller (still a great size it's just my salads tend to be HUGE) than usual, I really fancied dessert.

Again another new to me - but worth sharing again - the cinnamon, vanilla pud.  Simple, easy to make and tasty. The way I like 'em.

So went another lovely Bank Holiday Monday afternoon and evening... Here's to a great week of eating well, exercising lots, laughter and love.

The hayfever season may seem like a long way off. It's not yet been the darkest day. Still, I believe that the best way to treat hayfever is by prescribing on the biggest possible picture, giving the remedy that matches the person as a whole and allowing time for this to work. Whether that be as a catalyst, enabling the body to begin to heal itself, allowing the immune system to repair and mend or however it works. The fact is it works.  And starting treatment during the winter allows time for this mending, this healing to happen.  My belief isn't that the homeopathy itself is healing.  I don't believe anything heals except for our own bodies. I do think though that we get stuck, unable to mend due to a block, a repeating pattern we get stuck in, and sometimes this needs a little help, a nudge, a catalyst, to be able to get on and do it's own thing healthily again.  Which I believe homeopathy is able to assist with. I see it happen time and time again. Too many times to be luck, placebo, or all the other things we get thrown at us.

Anyway back to hayfever. Many people have their introduction to homeopathy through effective acute hayfever prescriptions and are blown away by the rapidity of response to the remedies.  Acute prescribing is great and can cut down the need for hayfever meds. Sometimes it may be all someone needs. Usually my feeling is that they may need to repeat the acute prescribing, and the hayfever may be likely to return as it's not been addressed on a deeper level. Which is where winter comes in. Now, or January/February time is a great time to get going - to look at the bigger picture, the who someone is as a person and find a remedy to suit them as a whole person, instead of merely isolated symptoms.  So give me a shout if you've any questions, or if you'd like to book in to address any issues. 

I'm happy to be working from the lovely Studio Pilates now on Tuesdays, from home on Wednesdays and from Craven Clinic on Thursday and Saturdays. And usually can be found with my head stuck into a book studying or appreciating the great outdoors (or both at the same time in summer) Mondays and Fridays (although I can be persuaded to work if people really can't fit into the other days)!

The hardest bit about doing exercise (I think anyway) is getting dressed for it. Once I'm dressed, I'm off, pretty much committed and unlikely to do an about turn and change my mind. 

The easiest way for me to get fit (and following injury, lots of fab trips and travel and a school summer holiday - I'm going to have to follow my own advice any moment...) is to do a little bit at a time, build up gradually and before I know it I'm comfortably running 5k and thinking nothing of it. Swimming the same - a few half mile swims and before long I'm able to easily swim a mile. A little at a time.

So I figure there's no difference with foods if you'd like it to be this way. I pretty much dived into a veggie diet from a point of nearly veggie-ness anyway, then vegan 2 months later and then raw vegan 3 months after that but to stealthily have the changes happen would be great too. To introduce an extra fruit meal a day a few days a week - for example a big bowl of fruit for breakfast (my favourite competing breakfast is 6 bananas and 10 dates (the dates blended into toffee) which keeps me smiling for hours), a fruit smoothie or a big juice.  Adding in a huge salad with your evening meal can be another baby step - or simply just adding an extra portion of fruit a day can be a big step for some people.

Steady, baby steps are a great way to get to a brilliant place.  If you do want to move faster you can always up the pace, grab some of the recommended books, have a chat with someone who's on the same journey or find relevant YouTube videos which can be wonderfully motivational. 

Slow and steady can win the race in the end too.

Happy fruit days x

 I wanted to share some advice about how to help minor complaints both while abroad and on holiday in the UK.

Digestive problems can blight even the best planned holiday, with tummy bugs being the most common travel-associated illness, according to the NHS Choices website.

While simple measures such as not drinking tap water can reduce the risk of stomach complaints, homeopathic remedies can be used to help holidaymakers get back on track.

Other common holiday complaints include sunburn, insect bites, jet lag and travel sickness.

Many people are looking for a more natural way to help their ailments. Homeopathic medicines are non-toxic, so they are safe to use in people of all ages.

Homeopathic medicine is holistic and while treatment by a professional homeopath is recommended, over-the-counter remedies can be used in minor ailments.

Homeopathic medicine works in a different way to conventional medicine, with each remedy having its own specific characteristics. Useful remedies to take on holiday include:

Arsenicum - the number one food poisoning remedy. There is much vomiting and diarrhoea, the patient is chilly, restless and anxious.

Belladonna – useful in sunburn where the burn is throbbing, you can feel heat coming off the body, and the patient may have a headache.

Cocculus – useful in travel sickness and jet lag, where there is nausea, vertigo (i.e. a ‘dizzy’ sensation as if you’re head is spinning), an empty feeling and you feel better lying still.

Ledum - useful in puncture wounds and insect bites, where the area is swollen blue and cold, but better for cold.

Arnica - the number one remedy for bruising but also useful in jet lag where there is an exhausted “bruised” feeling.

Note: patients are advised to consult their GPs before travelling abroad.

 

Happy holidays to everyone!