A helping hand for your health

Jenny first became aware of natural remedies at an early age

Make sure you get your five a day, don't eat processed food, keep off the salt, keep off the sugar! We're always being told to watch what we eat, but can Mother Nature lend a helping hand in staying healthy?

Jenny Logan is a trained Nutritional Therapist who runs a health food store on Pedder Street in Morecambe, and she says natural remedies can make a massive difference...

Jenny says, "I first became aware of natural remedies at a very early age, when my father was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and told he had two years until he would be in a wheelchair. As he had a very young family to support he started to explore natural ways to help himself with his symptoms, which I am pleased to say he managed very successfully. So much so that 25 years later he is not in a wheelchair and is still extremely active. With his interest already caught, when a health food shop came up for sale in Morecambe 18 years ago it seemed like fate."

Jenny went to work for him whilst studying and found her interest growing... "I developed digestive problems, which I was able to deal with thanks to the natural remedies we were selling. I therefore decided to learn more and enrolled in a course in Nutritional Medicine. I also went to work for a herbal medicine company for four years to expand my knowledge of the area of plant medicines."

"Seven years ago when my father decided to retire I decided to leave that job and buy the business from him and have been there ever since."

It is finding the many ways in which natural medicine can help people and helping people to get the best out of their bodies which makes my job so worthwhile and enjoyable. Jenny Logan

So what exactly is a Nutritional Therapist? "One of the key things I look at is not just the prevention of illness, nutrition is also the key to getting the best out of your body in my opinion. For example many people worry about getting their RDA (recommended daily amount) of vitamins and minerals, while most nutritionists will often look at levels way above these RDAs. The reason for this is actually because the RDA levels were set shortly after the Second World War as the minimum levels required to stop refugees suffering from scurvy and beri beri! These days we want to look at what level can you use to get the best performance out of your system. To give you plenty of energy and stamina. To give your system extra support during stressful times.

"I have seen many people over the years and worked with them to get from simply functioning to actively enjoying life again. One of the best quotes I have ever had came from a woman I was seeing, she said to me that she hadn't realised how bad she was feeling, until she started to feel better. This is because I believe that many people put up with feeling below par because they think that is as good as they can feel. That is not usually true, getting the balance of nutrients right in your body for the demands that you make on yourself, I believe can make a real difference. This should always be done on an individual basis as well, as we are all different, our diets and the demands we make on ourselves are all different and so what we need from nutritional supplements will vary as well."

"It is finding the many ways in which natural medicine can help people and helping people to get the best out of their bodies which makes my job so worthwhile and enjoyable."

The most common problems that Jenny deals with include

Irritable Bowel Syndrome and bloating...

Jenny says, "The good news is that natural medicine can be particularly good at helping people to control problems like Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This is probably because the early practitioners of naturopathic medicine were obsessed with the functioning of people's bowels and so explored every natural way possible of helping to improve bowel function!

"For example people who suffer with constipation can be helped in a multitude of ways including bulking fibres such as psylium husk, which helps to get lots of moisture into the bowel to make it easier to move the bowel contents along. There is also specific good bacteria which have been found to be useful in maintaining a healthy bowel function, called the Rhamnosus bacteria, which has been used in many modern trials as well and has been shown to be helpful in dealing with irritable bowel and food poisoning. For people who are struggling with a 'lazy' bowel there is also the nutrient magnesium citrate, which is vital in good muscle functioning. Remembering that the bowel is a big muscle, getting that muscle to function properly can offer a real key in getting a lazy bowel to function well.

"For people who suffer the other way - their bowel is loose rather than slow - there is a lovely herb called Tormentil which I always say is for tormented bowels as it soothes irritation and inflammation as well as slowing down a fast track digestive system."

Arthritis...

Jenny says, "For arthritis natural medicine again has many weapons in its armoury. Many people have heard abut Glucosamine sulphate, which over the years has helped many people improve the mobility of their joints. One of the main drawbacks with Glucosamine however can be that it takes a long time to work so we do have a few other remedies we can offer, including Rosehips! Rosehips - specifically in this case from the dog rose, rosa canina - have been found to have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect - the first reports of this came out of a study done in Norway a few years ago and we have seen some fantastic results."

Stress...

"For stress a common herb for us to use is oat seed. Oat seed (posh name Avena Sativa) is fantastic for anxiety and worry and can really help to turn of that annoying little worm which can sit in your brain all day saying 'what if this... what if that...'

Hormonal problems...

"For hormonal problems particularly menopausal hot flushes and hot sweats, the well known culinary herb sage, can offer a real solution. Sage helps to regulate and prevent excessive perspiration and so can help to stop those annoying sweats which can often plague menopausal women."

Other common plants which can have health giving properties include...

Lavender...

Jenny keeps Lavender oil in the kitchen, as it's good for burns

Jenny always keeps some in the kitchen... "Lavender oil is an absolute must in my at home first aid kit and I always have a pot of it in my kitchen, this is because lavender is fantastic for burns. Put straight onto a burn it can help to prevent blistering and take all the heat out. I managed to splash boiling milk on myself one day and got the lavender oil straight onto it and it stopped the blistering which I could already see forming, in its tracks."

Nettles...

For hayfever nettle is also a natural anti-histamine

"Nettles are fantastic for gout and hayfever sufferers. Firstly for gout - they help to clear excess uric acid out of the joint - and it is the uric acid which causes the pain and inflammation associated with gout.

"For hayfever nettle is also a natural anti-histamine so can help to reduce some of the symptoms of hayfever.

Dandelion...

Dandelion leaves naturally have diuretic properties

Jenny says, "Dandelion is used in two ways as well. Firstly the old wives tale of dandelion making you wet the bed could have some basis in truth! Dandelion leaves actually have diuretic properties so may be able to help people suffering with water retention. Dandelion roots are used to help improve the production and release of bile so may help to improve fat digestion and breakdown, this in part will be due to its bitter flavour."

Bilberries...

Bilberries may also help to strengthen and protect the eye

"Bilberries are fantastic for eyes - apparently the American Second World War fighter pilots used to eat bilberries before going out on night time bombing raids to improve their night vision. Now modern research has shown that bilberries may also help to strengthen and protect the eye against problems like cataracts and macular degeneration."

Horse Chestnut ...

Horse chestnut can improve symptoms associated with varicose veins

"Horse Chestnut is used surprisingly enough to help to deal with varicose veins. It is available in both tablet and gel forms which have been traditionally used to help improve the tone and strength of the vein tissue. Studies have shown that it can improve the symptoms associated with varicose veins such as swelling, itching and heaviness within about 4-6 weeks."

For more information on natural remedies visit Jenny's website .. and remember if you're feeling unwell, see the doctor!