•Ease the symptoms of morning sickness.
•Sooth and prevent bleeding gums which many pregnant women often experience.
•Relax the smooth muscles of the uterus when it is contracting
•Assist with the birth of the baby and the placenta.
•Calm cramping of the uterus.
•Provide a rich source of iron, calcium, manganese and magnesium. The magnesium content is especially helpful in strengthening the uterine muscles. Raspberry leaf also contains vitamins B1, B3 and E which are valuable in pregnancy.

Raspberry leaf is also used for the following:
•To aid fertility.
•To promote a plentiful supply of breastmilk.
•To help stop excess bleeding after birth.
•To treat diarrhoea.
•To regulate irregular menstrual cycle and decreases heavy periods.
•To relieve sore throats.
•To reduce fever.

It is thought that around one fifth of pregnant women take some form of raspberry leaf. Women believe that it will shorten labour and make the birth easier. The use of this herb for remedial purposes dates back to the sixth century and its benefits in childbirth have been recorded as a proven aid in maternity in the most ancient of herbal books.

Although raspberry leaf is available in tablet and tincture form, I personally believe that it is best to take it as a tea. In my last pregnancy, I started taking it a month before my due date, and drank about 2-3 cups a day. It is recommended that you start taking raspberry leaf tea at about 32 weeks, if you are using it to help with labour. I had a really quick labour, just a few hours, no stitches or tears and recovered very quickly afterwards.  Please remember if you are already pregnant to only take it in the third trimester, as it is a powerful herb and can cause contractions. 
I really believe it helped my labour and recovery, especially when I compare it to my first pregnancy when I didn't take raspberry leaf tea.

Sounds too good to be true...a massage that can help you detox, lose weight and feel better? Well read this...
Manual Lymphatic Drainage is a form of massage that stimulates the lymphatic system with gentle massaging strokes. The light rhythmical massage encourages the lymphatic system to eliminate metabolic waste products, excess fluid and bacteria.

The effects of Manual Lymph Drainage are numerous and include general benefits to the nervous and muscular systems. MLD is a great addition to other detox measures, as it encourages fluid flow in the connective tissues.

The lymphatic system is composed of lymph vessels, lymph nodes, and organs. Part of the body’s defense system, the lymph nodes remove microorganisms and other foreign substances. They act as a filtration system that keeps particulate matter, such as bacteria, from entering the bloodstream.

Stimulating the lymphatic system through manual lymphatic drainage will activate all of the above functions as well as encourage fluid circulation and cell regeneration. Both actions promote detoxification, facilitate healing and support the immune system.

“The lymphatic system has a vital role in the body by regulating the immune system, which protects the body against infection. It transports nutrients to cells and eliminates metabolic wastes, toxins and excess fluids from the body. Manual lymphatic drainage is also a very effective way of detoxing the body plus stimulating vital immune defenses. This is a powerful, deep cleansing treatment.” Explains David Goddard, ND

Manual Lymphatic Drainage benefits are numerous and include:
•Clearing areas of congestion such as swollen ankles, puffy eyes and swollen legs
•Promotion of scar tissue healing, torn ligaments and sprains.
•Post-operative healing
•Swelling relief following plastic surgery
•Treatment of lymphedema and other conditions arising from venous insufficiency
•Improving chronic conditions such as sinusitis, arthritis, acne and other skin conditions
•Deep relaxation

Lymphatic drainage is a very specific technique of manual body massage and is regarded by many as off-limits for any manipulation technique, so choose your therapist carefully.

I can't wait to get a few spare hours to go and have one of these!!

So what combos am I currently using? Well in season at the moment, pineapples, squeezed oranges, grapefruit, dragon fruit, and then a couple of handfuls of baby spinach, rocket, lettuce, etc. All blended up with maybe maca powder, Udo's Oil, or for an antioxidant mega boost, acai powder.  

So the next time your making a smoothie, try adding some greens. Start with a little, then gradually work your way up to more. You will be really surprised at how much you can put in before you can taste it.

The nuts and bolts come down to this - you are going to have to step out of your comfort zone, change the way you eat and increase exercise. There is no miracle pill, just plain old willpower. Yes, it might get uncomfortable, but isn't your health worth it?

"In the morning before breakfast on an empty stomach you take one tablespoon in the mouth but do not swallow it. Move Oil Slowly in the mouth as rinsing or swishing and Dr Karach puts it as ' sip, suck and pull through the teeth' for fifteen to twenty minutes. This process makes oil thoroughly mixed with saliva. Swishing activates the enzymes and the enzymes draw toxins out of the blood. The oil must not be swallowed, for it has become toxic. As the process continues, the oil gets thinner and white. If the oil is still yellow, it has not been pulled long enough. It is then spit from the mouth , the oral cavity must be thoroughly rinsed and mouth must be washed thoroughly. Just use normal tap water and good old fingers to clean.

 Clean the sink properly, you can use some antibacterial soap to clean the sink. Because the spittle contains harmful bacteria and toxic bodily waste. If one were to see one drop of this liquid magnified 600 times under a microscope, one would see microbes in their first stage of development.

 It is important to understand that during the oilpulling / oilswishing process one's metabolism is intensified. This leads to improved health. One of the most striking results of this process is the fastening of loose teeth, the elimination of bleeding gums and the visible whitening of the teeth.

 The oil pulling /swishing is done best before breakfast. To accelerate the healing process, it can be repeated three times a day, but always before meals on an empty stomach."

I like to do it after I have brushed my teeth, before I eat or drink anything. I've only been doing it for a few days, so no noticable changes yet. Although it is recommended to use sunflower or sesame oil I have been usng coconut as it is naturally anti bacterial and anti fungal. The oil becomes really runny as it mixes with your saliva. Also, although fifteen minutes may seem like a long time, if you are busy doing things whilst swishing,(you could even have a shower and kill two birds with one stone!) it goes pretty fast.

So how much water? I would suggest whatever you can manage. I'm not good with water in the mornings, so it's taken some getting used to. I have to drink it really slowly but I'm working up to a litre. Room temperature water is the best, as its most easily assimilated by the body. Some people like to squeeze lemon in their water, which is really good for cleansing the liver. I also like to squeeze an orange in my water during the day, and add some fresh mint leaves, as it gives a nice subtle flavour.

If you find water to hard to manage in the morning, go for a herbal or fruit tea, as that will help with  rehydration, even if you have a herbal tea before your coffee, it's better than having the coffee first as coffee and black tea are diuretics, which means that when you drink them, they take out more water from your body, making you even more dehydrated.

 A good rule of thumb is to drink an extra glass of water for each cup of tea or coffee you consume.

I stopped eating at lunchtime the day before, and just drank water and had some watermelon for dinner. I didn't want to have a big dinner and wake up feeling full, so thought I would start the fast with an empty stomach.

Day 1 -  Started off pretty well, I had a glass of warm water with lemon, then a bowl of watermelon for breakfast, at about 8.00am. I drank water throughout the day, and for some reason I didn't want to eat. Anything. I felt a bit queasy at the thought of eating more watermelon and was craving peaches and apples. I had some more watermelon at dinner time, but really didn't feel like it. I had a massive bowel movement in the afternoon, and really felt like my insides were cleaning out. I felt lighter and my stomach was really flat. Didn't get much sleep though as I felt hungry all night, which I wasn't expecting.

Day 2 - Woke up feeling really nauseous and thought I would be sick if I ate any watermelon! I stuck to water and then gave in and ate 4 peaches. I think the watermelon was too sweet and that was why I was craving less sweet fruits. I ate fruit for the rest of the day and had a proper dinner in the evening. I didn't want to be awake all night again.

I am quite shocked at this, as I love watermelon and thought it would be a really easy cleanse to do. I am going to do another one in a few days on apples and see how that goes. I think it's a really good way of giving the body a chance to heal itself, especially as watermelon requires very little digestion. Maybe apples will be better because they have more fibre and are more filling? We shall see next week...

I’ll tell you why.

Detoxification in the body is performed by many different organs, glands, and transportation systems, including the skin, gut, kidneys, liver, lungs, lymphatic system, and mucous membranes. The skin is the largest most important eliminate organ in the body and is responsible for one quarter of the body's detoxification each day. The skin eliminates over one pound of waste acids each day in the average adult, most of it through the sweat glands. The skin receives one third of all the blood circulated in the body and is the last to receive nutrients, yet the first to show signs of imbalance or deficiency.  It is vital that we help aid our skin in the detoxification process and this we can do daily in a simple and cheap way, by skin brushing. 

Dry skin brushing is a great way to stimulate all of the above organs of detoxification as it provides a gentle internal massage, whilst also stimulating & cleansing the lymphatic system.  It is known to help in removing cellulite, dead skin layers, strengthens the immune system, stimulates the hormone and oil producing glands, tightens the skin and prevents premature ageing. It tones the muscles, stimulates circulation, improves the function of the nervous system and helps aid digestion.

And it’s not hard to do! All you need is a long handled brush with soft natural fibres. You can buy them in most chemists and health shops. The best way to do it is just before showering. Make long sweeping strokes in the direction of your heart (not away from the heart as this puts extra pressure on the valves within the veins and lymph vessels, which can cause ruptured vessels and varicose veins). You only need to do it once a day, for about 5-10 minutes. Then have a nice hot shower and rub some almond or coconut oil all over you.

Your skin will feel soft, smooth, and hopefully over time, no more cellulite!

Green juices are a great way of getting vital nutrients and minerals into your body without having to eat bowls of vegetables. There are many articles and blogs on the web of people that have completed green juice cleanses and fasts for a month and even three months! Green juices are great for fasting/cleansing/detoxing as they are easily assimilated by the body, yet provide lots of nutrients at the same time.

A recipe I love is :

2 sticks celery

1 bunch spinach

1/2 long cucumber

1 bunch mint

2 apples

1 beetroot

Pass it all through a juicer and enjoy! Although the beetroot doesn't make it strictly a green juice (more purple), I love the earthy flavour of beetroot and its really good for cleansing the liver.

If you don't feel like getting the juicer out , or don't have one, try one of our power packed green powders to add to a glass of fruit juice or taken as a capsule to get some of the vitality packed goodness of greens.