• Dandelion Seasonal Allergies

    It’s Not too Early to Start Preparing for Seasonal Allergies

    As the winter months roll by, it might seem premature to start thinking about seasonal allergies. However, taking a holistic approach to preparing for them during winter can significantly alleviate symptoms and improve overall well-being when spring arrives. By adopting a proactive stance, you can empower yourself to manage allergies more effectively and enjoy the upcoming seasons to the fullest. Understanding Seasonal Allergies Seasonal allergies, also known as hay fever or allergic rhinitis, typically occur when outdoor allergens such as pollen from trees, grasses, and weeds are in abundance. These allergens trigger the body’s immune response, leading to symptoms like sneezing, congestion, itchy eyes, and a runny nose. While these…

  • Winter Immunity

    Tips for Boosting Immunity this Winter

    Boosting your immunity during the winter months is essential to help defend your body against the increased risk of colds, flu, and other infections. Here are some of our top tips to help you bolster your immune system. Maintain a Healthy Diet A diverse and balanced diet that includes a variety of nutrients ensures that your body has the building blocks it needs to maintain a strong and effective immune system. Here are some key nutrients that support your immune system and what foods they are found in. Vitamins and Minerals Vitamin C: Found in fruits like oranges, strawberries, and kiwi, as well as vegetables like bell peppers and broccoli.…

  • How Does Gut Health Affect Us?

    How Does Gut Health Affect Us?

    We’re always harping on about gut health here at Holistic Room because it affects pretty much every part of us. It affects how we feel, how we deal with stress, how we utilise nutrients, how well we sleep, the strength of our immune system, the health of our skin, the speed of our metabolism and so much more. In fact, there’s probably very little that the gut microbiome isn’t involved in. Our brain and body cannot exist without constant signals coming from the microbes in our gut. It’s a bustling, complex community that holds the key to both good and poor health. How many critters do we have? The exact…

  • Stomach discomfort

    You Are What Your Gut Absorbs

    Good health starts in the gut. We now know that about 70% of the immune system resides in the gut. So, to improve our whole health, we must pay attention to our gut and more importantly the little critters called the microbiome that live there. The microbiome consists of trillions of friendly gut bacteria in our digestive tract which not only ward off bad bacteria and viruses, but also effect every part of the body including your hormones, mood, and sleep. If your gut is impaired, you will not be able to digest food easily and more importantly, you will not be able to extract the nutrients from the food…

  • Footprints

    What is Baby Reflex?

    Reflexology is not just for adults! Babies and toddlers can benefit from reflexology too. For younger children, it may help with issues concerning feeding and digestion, calming, sleeping or teething. It also offers a way for parents and grandparents to help babies and toddlers naturally by giving them the tools to do so. Susie Ray is a reflexologist who runs Baby Reflex workshops, so you can learn how to administer reflexology on your little ones at home. The workshops run for 4 weeks and cover feeding and digestion, sleeping and comforting and wellbeing. The last week is self care for mums or dads and to give time if anyone wants…

  • Is holistic health and wellbeing right for you?

    Is holistic health and wellbeing right for you?

    An increasing number of people are embracing holistic health services now more than ever. The pandemic has highlighted the need to maintain good health, address certain health issues or generally work on boosting the immune system. Healthcare needs to move more towards a patient centred approach as opposed to the current symptom centred model that does not address the needs of the patient holistically. While conventional healthcare practices are essential for acute and in emergency situations, there are other options for long standing and chronic conditions. Here are some case studies which demonstrate how a holistic approach changed patients’ lives. Female, aged 32 – upper and lower gastrointestinal symptoms for…

  • It’s Time to Top Up on the “Sunshine” Vitamin

    Now that Summer is almost upon us and we are having some glorious sunshine, we can step out, soak up some rays and receive some well needed vitamin D. After social distancing, mask wearing and frequent hand washing, ultimately your last line of defence is your body’s own immune system. There has been a lot of focus on vitamin D in recent weeks and studies are revealing the part vitamin D has on the immune system and the importance it can play during the pandemic. Even though it is possible to get enough vitamin D from your diet and exposure to sunlight, it is still reported that 1 in 5…

  • Nutritional Therapist Francesca Shares Her Tips For a Healthy Immune System

    There is a lot of information all over the place about keeping healthy and strengthening or ‘boosting’ your immune system. I’ve been hearing and reading some cringe-worthy tips and advice, mostly from unqualified people. I’m a big fan of keeping things simple and I’m passionate about providing sensible and safe advice, and clarity for my clients and community. Here are 5 things I know to be true for a healthy immune system (and for health and mental wellbeing generally): Eating well Being well hydrated Daily movement Managing stress Sleeping well In this post I’m going to go through each one in the hope it provides you clarity and inspiration for the coming…

  • As Coronavirus Figures Soar, can you Boost your Immune System Naturally?

    With coronavirus figures soaring, is there anything you can do to boost your immune system during these uncertain times? Yes there is! One of the most obvious places to start would be by increasing levels of vitamin C in the body. Our immune system relies heavily on vitamin C so including more vitamin C rich foods such as strawberries, blackcurrants, kiwis, oranges, lemons, broccoli, peppers and kale into your diet would be a great place to start. When the body is under stress, which can be emotional stress such as from fear of catching the virus, it releases a host of hormones to cope with it. Vitamin C has been shown to reduce stress…

  • Are You Winter Ready?

    Vitamin D can help support the body in two ways, firstly by acting as ‘sunshine in a bottle’, vitamin D supplements help boost the levels in the body, which is often low in most people living in the UK due to the low levels of sunshine. Vitamin D is effective in treating Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) which is common in the dark winter months. Vitamin D has also recently been revealed to support the immune system by stimulating innate immunity in the body. The herbal tincture Echinacea also has a good reputation for increasing immunity by boosting the white blood cell count. However, be sure to check with your GP…