Helping Touch Natural Health Clinic

17/07/2025

What’s the science behind the 30 plants challenge, and what counts toward your total? Learn how to get more plants into your diet.

25/07/2024

One of the things you can do to heal trauma is to name your feelings. This infographic crafted by some of the best thought leaders in behavioral medicine explains the science behind how it works.

https://www.nicabm.com/neuroscience-naming-shadow-parts/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2Qc6Htof9b9ItcdFrS70fL3WMtoY0ZEJaP8-rS4WMaGLOUfw9qebTzSPM_aem_MA1pNNgBLKn6c1i5zp3UjQ

This infographic lays out how naming shadow parts can help decrease reactivity and painful sensations that are often activated.

17/04/2023

Thyroid health is affected by virus illness

Many viruses are associated with a subacute thyroiditis and neck pain is a significant symptom. Since the thyroid gland contains a large number of ACE receptors it can be significantly affected by Covid-19. Symptoms may appear as much as 40 days post infection. Other symptoms may include fatigue, palpitations, lack of appetite, sweating, insomnia, anxiety, tremors and weight loss.

Clinicians are becoming more educated to deal with health problems following viral infections. Speak to your healthcare professional if you have any concerns.

photo credit edrick krozendijk - pexels

17/04/2023

How low Zinc and COVID-19 affect your sense of taste and immune system response.

Zinc is the second most abundant mineral in the body, and plays an important role in the immune system in these areas:
- skin barrier
- gene regulation in lymphocytes
- immune cell maintenance
- DNA replication
- RNA transcription
- cell division
- cell activation
- membrane stabilizing

So, a zinc deficiency could cause various dysfunctions or symptoms such as:
- impaired immune function
- weight loss
- lose the sense of taste
- male sexual problems
- cognitive impairment
- hair loss
- eye and skin lesions
- delated healing of wound
- mental fatigue

Thymulin is a zinc dependent hormone. It is involved in the differentiation and maturation process of T-cells inside the thymus gland. therefore, zinc deficiency can cause a reduction in thymulin and contribute to an immune response.

How may zinc deficiency affect your sense of taste
Gustin is a zinc based protein in the salivary glands, for the growth and development of taste buds. If there is not enough zinc this would affect the presence of gustin.

Zinc can be depleted when the body is inflamed, since it is involved in immune responses. People who are low in zinc, tend to use up their zinc store more readily during an infection, which can be one reason why you can feel worse.

Since COVIID-19 causes excessive inflammation, your zinc levels are likely to be lower after your body has been combating the virus. You may notice this if your sense of taste seems to be gone.

Consumption of zinc rich foods or a supplement could be helpful for healing inflammation as well as a normal sense of taste.

22/03/2023

We're so excited to announce a new service in the clinic - IV infusions and drips! Our launch day is 30th March 2023.

Balance is one of the most popular options for burnout and fatigue. With B vitamins for a boost of energy and vitamin c and amino acids for immune support and inflammation plus essential electrolytes.

2 for 1 special on Balance Drips up to 6th April 2023. Come with your bestie and only pay $399 for the two of you! (offer is redeemable for one sitting only)

For first timers you'll also need to purchase a script for $50

To purchase and book your spot please use the link below.

https://www.fresha.com/a/qld-helping-touch-natural-health-clinic-chermside-west-40-ainsdale-street-b2y8tuwc/booking

14/10/2022

Ever wondered if you’re getting enough protein in your diet? Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and it turns out that we need 20 essential amino acids in the right ratio every day. If you eat eggs, milk, cheese, or fish or meat then you will be getting what you need. However, most plant sources of protein are incomplete, that is they don’t provide all the amino acids we need in the right ratio by themselves, with the exception of soybeans and quinoa. So the answer is to combine complementary proteins together. That means pairing nuts, seeds, grains or legumes in any combination of at least two in a meal.
s.tnycc.com/idJsTX

06/07/2022

This herbal smells so fresh and bright. It suits its name.

30/06/2022

With lettuce at round $11 you be wondering how to get your '5 A Day' and worry because you understand the importance of plant foods in your diet. Something to ponder is the amount of food we waste - three of the top five foods wasted in Australia are vegetables, fruit and bagged salads according to OzHarvest Sustainability. One of the hottest tips is to shop like the French, daily if possible for only what you need, avoiding waste of money and produce, Look for the specials too - avocados are just over $1 currently and one of the most nutritional foods on the plant - smashed Avo at home won't have us missing our Iceberg so much perhaps?
Consider using frozen veg and berries - they are reasonably priced still and lose fewer nutrients making them a worthy addition to your daily 5.
If you're short on time these cool winter evenings try making the fastest soup ever! Add 3 cups of frozen peas to cups of hot chicken stock, cook, then blend until smooth with a sprig of mint, add a splash of balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper and serve with a teaspoon of olive oil and parmesan to your liking. This delicious soup is less than $1 a serve and green peas pack a decent nutritional punch serving up potassium, iron, calcium and magnesium, as well as antioxidant vitamin C and phytonutrients including carotenoids & flavonols which are heart protective. The calorie content of peas is also pleasingly fairly low with only 62 calories per cup!
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30/06/2022

Addressing mental health and cognitive decline is focused directly on brain neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. However, there are several other factors to treat.
First of all, good nutrition is essential for neurological and mood health - the brain needs lots of energy to function. Make sure you eat regular balanced meals and consider supplements like B vitamins, zinc, magnesium and essential fatty acids. Secondly, keeping well hydrated - the brain is about 70-80% water. Thirdly, the body must have the ability to cope with, and recover from, emotional and physical stress.
One factor that plays a key role in achieving these goals is a healthy gut including good gut bugs. Restoration of the GUT and its microflora improves outcomes in patients treating mood disorders and cognitive decline.
Sometimes toxins can escape from the gut and affect the rest of the body. The resulting inflammation contributes to reduced brain cell function leading to low mood and compromised cognitive function.

Image: Gerd Altmann

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29/06/2022

The ability to alter one’s emotional responses is central to overall well-being and to effectively meeting the demands of life. Events such as trauma, overwhelm our capacities to successfully handle and adapt to them. Our ability to self-regulate how we feel and deal with the emotions of moment-to-moment experience is closely tied to our physiology. Communication between body systems occurs through the generation and transmission of rhythms and patterns of activity. Of special note is the relationship between the heart and brain. The theory is that self-induced positive emotions increase the coherence in bodily processes, which is reflected in the pattern of the heart’s rhythm. This shift in the heart rhythm in turn plays an important role in facilitating higher cognitive functions, creating emotional stability and facilitating states of calm. Heart rate variability (HRV) is influenced by what we think, how we feel, what we eat and what we do and can be measured, tracked and re-trained. Heart rate variability biofeedback involves paying close attention to nuances in breathing. This is very similar to what is done in mindfulness. Calming the rhythm of your heart can move you from being "stuck" in an emotional and behavioural response to a state of awareness, control and calm.

Image by Gerd Altmann
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03/06/2022

Many people have lingering Covid symptoms long after they have recovered from the initial acute infection. Fatigue, dry cough, fever, muscle pain, gut dysbiosis, depression, anxiety, chills & difficulty breathing are some of the main persistent symptoms, but it can vary greatly. MY STRONGEST SUGGESTION WOULD BE TO BOOK IN WITH A NATUROPATH / INTEGRATIVE GP TO WORK WITH YOU, IF THAT IS AT ALL POSSIBLE. AFTER ALL, THERE’S BEEN A BIT OF A ‘SHAKE UP’ TO YOUR SYSTEM! YOU'LL PROBABLY NEED SOME SUPPORT.
And if you really can’t do this – there are some very general tips below!

Recovery Phase / Long Covid prevention: Gut, inflammation, immune balance / mast cell / histamine response, nervous system support.

Eat the foods that help you feel the best, stay away from anything you don’t tolerate well / anything you’re a bit reactive to. Nourish & support a diverse gut microbiome: Bone broth / collagen / pre & probiotics, polyphenols, good fats.

Omega 3 supplementation can be a really helpful
antioxidant & anti-inflammatory supplement. Magnesium, vitamin D and zinc are great minerals for immune recovery. Herbs like hops & passionflower may be useful to get to sleep or a sleepy time tea.

When you feel like you can manage some exercise, definitely do some but DO NOT OVERDO IT. Start really slow & gentle:
- a 10-15 minute walk
- some gentle yoga stretches
Listen to your body - while exercise is beneficial for recovery its best to start small & only do what feels right, when you are feeling like it. You likely won’t be back into your normal routine for a while, expect this and be patient with yourself.

Keep sleep and rest a high priority. If you are having trouble sleeping, try meditating and take time to prepare for sleep: no TV, videos or social media 1 hour before you go to bed; avoid arguments; do a bit of journaling; stay hydrated.

Take opportunities to put your feet up & do some deep breathing.