This episode I chat all things menopause and natural health and wellness with Dr Bruce Berkowsky. I am the guinea pig as we demonstrate his natural Health Science System. This approach embraces naturopathy, herbology, nutrition, homoeopathy, and aromatherapy. He combines western medical approaches with the traditional eastern healing arts and offers individualised intuitive care to resolve physical and emotional disharmony.
We Begin at the very Beginning
Our first port of call is to examine what is happening in a person’s life to discover any excess or deficiency in the fundamentals before moving on to supplementation. Dr Bruce says from my viewpoint you must always frame your intervention beginning with what is fundamental and then move to the supplemental. Modern medicine too often begins with supplementation forgetting to evaluate the fundamentals.
In traditional naturopathic thought and philosophy there are specific fundamental elements of life where we begin our quest. These fundamentals are:
- Good food,
- Fresh air,
- Adequate sunshine,
- Adequate sleep and rest,
- Pure water,
- Adequate exercise,
- Good posture, and
- Emotional poise or emotional balance. This is particularly important consideration in long standing or chronic disease.
Food is Fuel for Energy Production
You are what you eat is not new news I know. Many people today do have a terrible diet and this is one of the major factors in disease, if not THE major cause of diseases. Not only that, our food is where we source energy for the body and what you put in influences what you get out!
The body is composed of somewhere between 50 to 100 trillion cells but there is no one organ devoted to energy production in the body. Every individual cell produces energy, and the accumulative net production of energy is your energy reserve. There are two main fuels the body uses. One fuel is glucose which comes from carbohydrates, but the preferred fuel is fat. The body prefers to metabolise fats because you get a lot more energy from fats. Note: The exception to this are cancer cells that only metabolise sugars not fats.
Menopause and Digestion
Did you ever wonder why digestion seems to be a problem in middle life? Wonder no more! We will discover how stomach acid declines as we age and what you can do to support your digestive processes and improve gut health. We also touch on thyroid function and the link to other hormonal problems including symptoms of menopause!
Skin Care for improved health and wellness
Dr Bruce’s talks us through his vital Chi skin brushing technique to stimulate the circulation in the skin, remove the dead skin cells and revitalise the skin. This stimulates the flow of chi energy around the meridians and stimulates lymphatic drainage. Remember the lymphatic system is your ‘sewer system’ that removes the toxins from your cells. The vital chi skin brushing technique is organised in a specific sequence to encourage drainage into the appropriate lymphatic nodes.
Hydrotherapy at Home
Move over Wim Hof as we hear Dr Bruce explain the benefits of hot and cold water hydrotherapy to help the dry skin of menopause. All from the comfort of your own shower! Finally, Dr Bruce tells us all we need to know to enjoy an ‘air bath’ before bed and enjoy a more restful night’s sleep. Sign me up!!
Watch us in the flesh!
Or listen while you prepare your breakfast smoothie! (See recipe below)
Break the Fast
A good way to start the day is with some healthy fats. Dr Bruce says, “I like to begin the day with coconut oil.” Coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids which are not really found in many other foods and really are one of the most heart healthy fats that you can have.
Coconut oil is also a real anti-toxicant; it helps take toxins out of the body. Note that somebody undergoing chemotherapy should add coconut oil very gradually, a teaspoon at a time, because it could cause a herxheimer reaction due to the toxins associated with treatment. (The Herxheimer Reaction is a short-term (from days to a few weeks) detoxification reaction in the body. As the body detoxifies, it is not uncommon to experience flu-like symptoms including headache, joint and muscle pain, body aches, sore throat, general malaise, sweating, chills, nausea, or other symptoms.)
Breakfast Smoothie Recipe
Your Amazon shopping list:
Whole Almonds Raw 1kg Unsalted Unpasteurized Non GMO
Organic Chia Seeds 1kg
1L Organic Extra Virgin Raw Coconut Oil (Cold-Pressed), Glass Jar, For Cooking
Borna Foods Dried Blueberries 200g
Organic Cacao Powder 1kg
Organic Coconut Desiccated – 500g GMO Free, Vegan, High Fibre, Certified Organic
Begin with a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil added together with a couple of tablespoons of coconut butter or dried unsweetened coconut. (Coconut butter is nothing more than the coconut meat ground up into a nut butter)
Add a couple of teaspoons of raw ground cacao. (Raw cacao is the raw material for chocolate) Cacao is one of THE super foods, there are many more polyphenyl antioxidants in cacao than grape seed and grape skins. It is also one of the richest foods in the world in magnesium. It a source of good fats that the body really likes (no kidding) and can assimilate. Of course, it has some carbohydrate in it and a relative of caffeine called theobromine which is milder and doesn’t make you ‘wired’. There are studies that show a small amount of caffeine daily does seem to be helpful for brain function and I have found that the small amount of theobromine is also very good.
Mix with a Seed or Nut Milk
Mix these altogether in a seed or nut milk. Homemade is best so if you add about 10 tablespoons of nuts (remember to soak nuts overnight to soften) or 10 tablespoons of seeds in about a cup and a half of water depending on how thick you like it. (Almonds are the best because almonds are the only nuts that are alkaline forming in the body, all other nuts are acid forming. This matters because of the pH cycle in the body. When you first wake up in the morning the body is more acidic and therefore eating more alkaline foods in the morning will help to balance out that pH
Finally add in a tablespoon or two of blueberries fresh, unsweetened dried blueberries or unsweetened frozen blueberries. Put all the ingredients into a blender and whiz them up together.
Accompaniments
This can be eaten with fruit; and apple is a great choice unless you are on a ketogenic diet when you are restricted to certain types of berries. Serve blackberries or some blueberries on the side and sprinkle some coconut on top and perhaps some chia seeds.
Note the chia seed is an all-purpose seed very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, very high in protein and the all-important property is it moves the bowels along. It is important to combat constipation which is a common feature in menopause.
Et Voila, a breakfast rich in fats rich in protein rich and all kinds of nutrients that you can think of!
Contributors
Your Host: Phillipa Butler Chartered Physiotherapist, Pilates and Yoga teacher
