Christmas Clinic Hours

Just want to wish everyone a merry christmas and happy new year!

And just a small reminder -
The clinic will be closed from Friday 21st December 2012, and reopen on Tuesday 8th January at 9.30

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us via the website:
www.fertilityhealth.com.au

Christmas is nearly upon us..

Well with that time of year creeping up on us, we all are in a mad rush to do the christmas shopping before the kids finish school, organise the food for christmas day, while forgetting about actually breathing and looking after ourselves!

For those of you who need a minute down time & didn't get a chance to read our summer newsletter you can have a peek here:

http://www.fertilityhealth.com.au/files/Summer%20Newsletter.pdf

We have offered great tips if your planning on heading away for the break, information on phytonutrients and adaptogens - both useful around this time of year, along with some meditation apps that may come in handy and have also given some of our favourite summer recipe inspirations!

Remember for those who sign up to our newsletter or subscribe to our blog we are offering 20% off all stock left on the shelf (excludes individual herbal mixes), so get in quick to stock up for the festive season.

One last reminder before you rush madly out the door, is that the clinic will close for christmas from 1pm on Friday 21st December and we'll be back 9am January 8th! 

Gluten - What's the big deal?

Gluten is a protein found in a variety of grains such as wheat, 

rye, barley, oats, spelt and related products. Because wheat is added into so many processed foods many people are eating gluten daily without even realising it.  Gluten is an issue for most people only because we each so much of it. The Standard Australian Diet (SAD) generally consists of wheat based cereals for breakfast, crackers as a snack, a sandwich, a few biscuits, pasta for dinner and before you know it you have consumed gluten with every meal!

Celiacs is the name given to an auto-immune disease that causes permanent intestinal intolerance to gluten. Only 1 in 200 people are celiac while it is estimated that 1 in 7 people have a gluten intolerance or sensitivity. You could have a gluten intolerance without necessarily having Celiac’s disease.

The issue is that gluten is a protein that is difficult to digest and can cause inflammation and irritation in the intestinal wall. If not digestive properly it is us to the immune system to break it down. Once the immune system steps in, the gluten can affect pretty much every other system in the body. Issues that arrive can include digestive issues, auto-immune disorders, skin problems, asthma, mood disorders, behavioural and learning difficulties and allergies.

What to do?

The best advice I can give to anyone is to vary your grain intake and avoid overconsumption of gluten. Use a variety of grains in your diet such as rice, corn, quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth or millet. All are gluten free and very nutritious.

If you are worried about having a gluten sensitivity, avoid all gluten containing foods for a period of 3 weeks. Assess your health over this period, then introduce the gluten back in and see how you feel. Many people feel that they can tolerate gluten if consumed occasionally and in small amounts.

Please see my next blog all about choosing gluten free grains!