One of the many questions I ask my clients is how do you feel first thing in the morning? Are you getting out of bed and hobbling like you're an old lady ? (or man for that matter! ). Are your feet stiff and sore? Is your lower back stiff and do you generally feel a million years old?
If the answerer is yes, I know that they have too much inflammation in their body and they are likely suffering from poor circulation.
I will also take a peak at their tongue and if I see any signs of purple to any degree I know that there is blood stagnation going on and they are likely to be experiencing pain somewhere in their bodies. Sometimes I see it in their lip colour - a subtle or sometimes obvious purple hue. The Tongue Chart below gives you a good idea but it's only after years of practice that you really get used to seeing tongue colour.
See the Tongue Chart above to get an idea of what your looking for.
The pain they may be experiencing may be related to their period, sometimes it's related to headaches or a stiff shoulder or it could be something like plantar fasciitis. It doesn't really matter where the pain is as the herbs I'm about to prescribe them work systemically and help to reduce and control the inflammation and improve their circulation throughout their bodies.
I coach my clients to check their lip and tongue colour and coating. I get them to look at the tongues of people in their family to get used to what is normal so that they know what is going on.
If we need to work on their diet, I will help them clean up their food choices and start to eat an more anti-inflammatory type style such as the following:
Less red meat
No trans fats from processed foods such as take-away, chips, deep fried foods.
Eating a range of fresh fruits and vegetables - 5 or more cups per day
Drinking filtered water - 2 L per day.
Avoiding sugar and white flour products
Eating 5 or more cups of vegetables per day
Include fresh herbs in your daily diet such as parsley, chives, rosemary and basil
Drinking 2 L of filtered water per day
Reducing alcohol.
Quit smoking
But the thing that really makes the difference is to use herbal medicine to address the inflammation and improve circulation. I have seen such changes in client's health as we do this. Stiffness and pain disappear, skin quality gets better particularly dry itchy skin conditions, memory and concentration improve and the list goes on. It's great to get on top of these things before they get out of control.
If you would like to book an appointment with me please contact me via email : lucynaturopath@yahoo.com.au
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