Ailments

Cancer


"Cancer is not something to be feared. Cancer is a message to you, that you need to take control and responsibility for how you live your life and what you eat!" - Natalie Sen, N.D.

One in two people in the west will be afflicted with cancer at some point despite the billions of dollars spent on decades of research, but many naturopathic institutes have been treating cancer with juice therapy and other natural remedies from as far back as the 19th century. So why not put your trust in the guidance of a holistic naturopath who favours a modified model of pioneers such as Dr. Schulze, Dr. Gerson's Therapy, Norman Walker, Ellen G. White and others who take into account the increased toxicity of contemporary life.

Natalie says, "You need cutting-edge, high-dose supplements such as ozone/vitamin therapies and proteolytic enzymes uniquely geared for fighting cancer". Natalie also utilises a sweeping detoxification program to help and support you in whatever conventional treatment you have decided to undertake, normally a total revision of diet and lifestyle is required. Don't rush into treatment. Take time to research and find out if the treatment you are offered is right for you and your family. When you are given your diagnosis, go home, listen to that small voice within, and ultimately YOU have to take responsibility for your health. A lot of patients when diagnosed with cancer get so afraid they hand over their life there and then to the doctor - often with catastrophic consequences.

If you're sick why don't you come and stay with us in our Detox Retreat, where you will receive personal, 24 hour care from me. For more information click RawRecovery Retreat. Please don't hesitate to contact me or if you know a family member who is pursuing the orthodox road to treatment, send them this page.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome


Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a benign, chronic disease of altered bowel habits and abdominal pain. It is considered a functional type of bowel disorder and is said to be caused by heavy spasms of the large colon. IBS is also known as spastic colon, nervous bowel, irritable colon and mucous colitis. With Natalie's treatment of this disease she never rules out an emotional factor that might be contributing to this condition.

It is the most common functional disorder of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Other disorders in this group include functional dyspepsia, functional anorectal pain, and non-cardiac chest pain.

Symptoms and discomfort range from cramping-like pains to a continuous dull pain and is often (partly) relieved by bowel movements. Very often the pain appears after food ingestion and is accompanied by sometimes mild to sometimes extreme abdominal bloating. There is often diarrhoea, sometimes alternating with severe constipation.

After the absorption and digestion of the nutrients in the small intestines, the waste moves into the large intestines (also called bowel or colon). Before the waste reaches the rectum, excessive muscular contractions can cause severe pain, diarrhoea and/or constipation. Improper mastication and incorrect food combining can cause great difficulties in the stomach. The cause of the muscle over-activity may be due to leaky gut or large particles entering the blood stream causing an intolerance. Researchers have confirmed that food allergies/intolerances/hyper-sensitivities might play a very important role. Nicotine, alcohol, caffeine and stress, all worsen the problem. Natalie will rebalance your gut with a an amazing, breakthrough probiotic which is research-led. Your body will recover and be rebalanced within 90 days or sooner.

Natalie has successfully treated IBS

Depression


Possible causes of depression:

Depression can be caused by a variety of psychological factors, including past or present abuse, the loss of a loved one, lack of intimacy in one's life or stress over family, work or finances for example. These psychological factors can also lead to biochemical imbalances.

Biochemical Imbalances can often cause depression, and nutritional deficiencies are at the heart of most biochemical imbalances. Genetics, substance abuse, severe nutrient imbalances and chronic illness can all cause biochemical imbalances.

Nutritional deficiency, especially deficiencies in Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) and vitamins and minerals, can exacerbate or even cause depression. You can be deficient in Essential Fatty Acids if you have had any tendency to substance abuse, or if such substances affect you differently from others. For example, depression might persist while you are abstinent from alcohol. Vitamin and mineral deficiency can often contribute to depression. The B-complex vitamins are essential to mental and emotional well-being. They cannot be stored in our bodies, so they must come entirely from our daily diet. B-vitamins are destroyed by alcohol, refined sugar, nicotine and caffeine. A number of symptoms can also be triggered from deficiencies in B1 (thiamine), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B12, Folic Acid, Magnesium, Calcium, Zinc, Copper, Iron, Manganese and Potassium.

Excessive alcohol in your teenage years, a family history of alcoholism, depression, suicide or schizophrenia, a personal or family history of Crohn’s Disease, hepatic cirrhosis, cystic fibrosis, atopic eczema, Ulcerative Colitis, IBS or diabetes can all be contributing factors to depression.

Other forms of depression are winter depression that lightens in spring, or a depression that is eased by certain foods or vitamins that seen to lift you emotionally.

Possible symptoms of depression:

Low self esteem, insomnia, excessive sleep, agoraphobia, substance abuse, panic attack, suicidal thoughts, poor libido, lack of or increase in appetite, fatigue, unusual behavior patterns like becoming unusually reclusive, and even a negative outlook on life.

Natalie can successfully help you with her programme specially designed for depression.

What kind of treatments are used in the programme?

Diet, lifestyle changes, and in some chronic cases, natural supplementation, counselling and life coaching. Not all of these treatments are always needed for every person.

Constipation


Do you experience diarrhoea, skin allergies or any other skin problems, headaches, fatigue, halitosis, stomach bloating, lower back ache, poor digestion, gas, sluggishness (especially after meals), weight gain, or depression? If so, you may be one of the millions of people suffering from colon problems. The colon is one of the most neglected parts of the body. Did you know that even in small quantities, many poisons from a toxic colon both age and destroy your body? If you do not eliminate properly, weight loss is impossible.

As we in the West eat an increasingly more refined, over-processed diet and exercise less and less, we pay a big price with our health.Constipation is one of the most common but least talked about complaint, and is often the first indication of poor diet, especially overeating. It is often the direct result of too little fibre in the diet, which helps the body rid itself of waste products.

The strain of trying to pass small hard motions from the bowel can lead to further complications such as bowel disorders or piles. "Normal" bowel movements, should basically be a short time after a meal. Complaints vary considerably from person to person, with some passing one movement a day and others one every three days.

Reasons you may be prone to occasional constipation could be due to emotional factors, your environment, diet, amount of water you drink or lack of enzymes to take up that water to hydrate your body.

If your stools are small and hard, and foul-odoured, and if you pass them only once a day or less, then you are constipated.

A normal healthy stool should be quite bulky, medium-brown coloured, with no unpleasant odour, mucus, blood, or undigested food, and should be passed after every meal.

Apart from the most common culprit of too little fibre in our food, other causes of constipation include eating too much meat or dairy produce, or too little water, as fibre needs water to form soft motions. Other causes of constipation are lack of exercise, ignoring the need to pass a motion, dependence on laxatives, the side-effects of some medicines, and even pregnancy, as the pregnancy hormone progesterone relaxes the muscles of the intestine, which slows down bowel movements, making you more likely to become constipated.

Constipation can be treated extremely effectively by complementary therapies without the use of drugs. You should consult your Naturopath of any sudden change of bowel habit lasting longer than a week. Dangers to watch out for are blood in your stools. While this should be investigated further there is no need for immediate worry, as this is not always a sign of colon cancer, as so many information sources suggest. While it can be colon cancer, it could also just be haemorrhoids.

When constipation has been present over a long period, impacted faeces have most likely become embedded in the colon walls. This means five feet of backed-up faeces is already blocking your large intestine (as your large intestine is five feet long).

Treatment:

Natalie will give you a very easy bowel detox programme, accompanied with dietary advice. She may also suggest you give yourself an enema or go and have a colonic irrigation treatment, which can be most beneficial in treating constipation.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome


Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has been called "yuppie flu", emphasising the fact that some people find it hard to understand or accept this ailment. Yet the World Health Organization has classified Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (C.F.S.), also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.), as a disease of the nervous system.

M.E. can be a severely disabling and chronic condition which has a devastating impact on your daily life, work and personal independence - an impact often made worse by the prejudice and disbelief which surrounds this complex disorder.

Common Signs:

  • Loss of memory or concentration
  • Sore throat
  • Painful and mildly enlarged lymph nodes in your neck or armpits
  • Unexplained muscle soreness
  • Pain that moves from one joint to another without swelling or redness
  • Headache of a new type, pattern or severity
  • Sleep disturbance
  • Extreme exhaustion lasting more than 24 hours after physical or mental exercise

Cause

In my opinion, M.E. may be a weak immune system which opens the door to common viruses that cause long term weakness. There is also speculation that certain neurotoxins such as pesticides could trigger C.F.S. Physicians do recognize that psychological and emotional states may also have an influence. There have been a greatly increasing number of incidents of M.E. among people who have worked on farms, or lived close to non-organic, or sprayed farms. Unfortunately we live in a toxic world and while it is hard to find fresh air and non toxic foods, it is not impossible. Try to reduce your stress levels, this is also a factor although it is hard to be totally stress free these days. Do your best in today's environment. We should buy the best produce we can afford; preferably organic, or even grow your own.

Treatment:

The speed at which someone can experience positive results from treatment just depends on which program you choose. Natalie can help you recover at different speeds solely depending on your own discipline. A supervised, long water-fast, followed by supplemented water enemas, will be the fastest recovery plan. Otherwise Natalie can personalise your own program of detoxing and cleansing with a superior detox supplement, raw food diet and lifestyle changes. This will have little or no side effects unlike the quicker water-fast. There is also a blood test called Viral Protein One which reads positive in around 60 percent of people with M.E symptoms which Natalie can check also.

Improving the nutrition of M.E. sufferers usually alleviates the condition. In a significant number of cases patients are able to resume normal life after dietary changes. Natalie will also correct digestion and elimination, the two systems in which malfunction can lead to the onset of M.E. Removing "allergic" foods from the diet can also bring about a great improvement.

M.E. can hit at anytime, whatever your age or background, and although it most commonly begins between the ages of 20 and 40, children also have been known to be diagnosed.

If you book in to see Natalie for a Consultation, she first will take a comprehensive health history for a diagnosis and then allocate you a treatment plan if you are diagnosised with M.E.

Blood Pressure Problems


Monitoring blood pressure is one of the most common and useful ways of measuring variations in someone's health. It's the heart's pumping cycle. The first reading, the systolic pressure, is taken at the moment when the heart actually beats (peak pressure); the second, called the diastolic pressure, is measured between heart beats (lowest pressure). The two readings are combined as a fraction with systolic pressure over diastolic pressure.

A normal measurement for an adult is about 120 over 80 (though blood pressure varies slightly throughout the day depending on what you are doing). However, systolic pressure of 100-140 and diastolic measurements of 60-90 are usually considered within normal boundaries.

Abnormally high blood pressure is known as hypertension; low blood pressure is called hypotension. Both conditions may require treatment although hypertension is usually regarded as the more serious. High blood pressure is most common among the middle-aged (about 1 in 10 is affected), particularly men. It is an invisible disease and many people are completely unaware that they have it, while others experience symptoms such as persistent headaches, dizziness, visual disturbance, altered consciousness and ringing in the ears.

Most cases of hypertension result from a combination of factors, which include the excess consumption of alcohol, salt and processed foods rather than fresh food. Insufficient exercise, smoking, being overweight, and hardening of the arteries, (especially caused by unhealthy western diet) are also common causes of high blood pressure. Even taking the contraceptive pill can contribute. While hereditary factors can contribute to high blood pressure, it is only when you have the same poor dietary habits. In rare cases, the cause may be kidney disorder, and some pregnant women may also develop dangerously high blood pressure. If high blood pressure continues unchecked, it can contribute to serious conditions such as angina, heart attack, stroke, hemorrhage, or kidney complaints. High blood pressure can be treated with naturopathic nutrition. Diet, emotions and stress need to be addressed immediately.

Low blood pressure can be as hard to detect as the opposite extreme. It mostly affects elderly people and is usually temporary. The symptoms, (if there are any), include dizziness, momentary giddiness or fainting after standing up suddenly. When low blood pressure is persistent, it can be due to an under active adrenal gland, but more commonly, due to a nutritional deficiency of vitamins and minerals.

Natalie's Approach:

High blood pressure is a potentially dangerous condition that can lead to strokes and heart attack. A systolic blood pressure above 180mmHg or diastolic blood pressure above 90mmHg may need to be treated in conjunction with a Naturopath. However, unless your physician is very concerned, you may want to just be treated by Natalie using a naturopathic diet plan specifically for HBP, as this is often very effective and is drug free. Persistent high blood pressure or a persistence of symptoms associated with high blood pressure should be discussed with Natalie. In every consultation one of the first things she will do is measure your blood pressure.

Naturopathic medicine can play an important role in reducing blood pressure. If you are already taking HBP medication it can be another reason to see Natalie and let her help wean you off these drugs. Once your physician can see that your blood pressure is returning to normal, orthodox medication can be reduced.

Possible Causes of Inflammation That Can Lead to High Blood Pressure:

  • Dehydration
  • High calcium blood levels
  • Low vitamin D
  • Calcification of arterial linings
  • Magnesium deficiency
  • Neurogenic abnormalities
  • High blood sugar

Supportive Treatments:

Naturopathic Nutrition. As with circulatory problems, a naturopath's first aim is to undo the damage to the arteries, caused by cell proliferation, which causes narrowing of the arteries and in turn attracts calcium and cholesterol. To do this, Natalie would recommend raw foods, systemic or enzyme therapy, and natural supplements rich in anti-oxidants, particularly vitamins A, C, E and selenium. Natalie would also use flaxseed oil and vitamin E, and other herbs or foods to make the blood thinner so that it flowed better. However, if a patient is already taking blood-thinning drugs, the nutritional treatment must be co-ordinated with their physician and taken slowly so that the blood is not thinned too dramatically or too quickly.

A diet low in calcium and cholesterol, and rich in vitamins A, C and E, e.g. yellow/orange and green vegetables, flaxseed oil (cold-pressed), fruits, and fiber is recommended.

Tips:

Avoid fatty food. Go on a tasty vegetarian diet; Natalie can give you recipes. Find ways to relax each and every day. Make sure you sleep for at least eight hours a night. Science has now proven that you need 9 hours sleep, uninterrupted in pitch a black room. During sleep is the only time the blood has a chance to purify; maximum purification means less pressure for the arteries and veins. Exercise every day even if it is a ten minute brisk walk. Book a Consultation!!

Cystitis and Thrush


Cystitis is a bladder infection that makes you feel as if you want to urinate frequently. Each time you do however, you feel an excruciating burning sensation. You may also get mild fever symptoms such as headaches, a pain in the abdomen, and a high temperature.

Cystitis is caused by bacteria, but love-making can also cause the urethra to become inflamed, which results in these acutely uncomfortable symptoms. Most women experience cystitis at one time or another, but for some it is a constantly recurring complaint that can have a devastating impact on their lives and relationships.

Thrush is a yeast infection (Candida albicans) caused by imbalance of the organisms in the vagina or gut. The symptoms are a thick, yellowy, "cottage cheese-like" discharge and soreness or itching of the genitals. The vulva can become painfully swollen and red. But many women have thrush without suffering any symptoms at all, though their partner may be affected. You may develop thrush when you are rundown after an illness, particularly if you have taken antibiotics which kill off the natural bacteria in the gut, allowing the candida to take over. The hormonal changes of the menopause and pregnancy may also trigger vaginal thrush.

Natalie's Approach

Natalie can rid the body of the frustrating symptoms of cystitis within 20 minutes, with the use of a superior detox supplement. Any mild urinary tract infections such as frequently passing urine, stinging or irritation such as burning can be self-treated or treated by Natalie. Any persistent discomfort, severe pain or any suggestion of kidney involvement should be brought to the attention of your doctor immediately. Kidney infections can move very rapidly to destroy the delicate tissues, and antibiotics are sometimes required, but remember taking antibiotics will destroy the good bacteria you need to fight off the bad bacteria. So it is extremely important to take probiotics for at least 6 months. It has also been reported that there is a link to childhood sexual abuse and recurring Cystitis. But this does not mean that everyone who has had cystitis has been abused.

Naturopathic therapies promoting the body's immune system rather than directly attacking the yeast are definitely preferable and only the severest of thrush, unresponsive to complementary treatment, should be brought to the attention of your GP.

For very quick relief, naturopathy can act rapidly to alleviate the symptoms. In the medium term, nutritional advice, and/or hydrotherapy should be used to create an environment in which cystitis and thrush are unlikely to recur.

Tips

One of the most successful herbal treatments for vaginal thrush is tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia). This has always been known as powerful, natural antibiotic. According to one naturopath, during World War II the Australian government exempted leaf cutters from national service so that they could carry on producing tea tree, which was issued to the army as a general disinfectant. Taken in water (under the guidance of your naturopath) and supplemented with the weekly use of tampons soaked in the solution, tea tree has a strong antifungal and antibacterial action. It is available as a lotion, soap, toothpaste, and in many other forms for external use as antiseptic.

Golden Seal can be bought at your local health food store (Hydrastis Canadensis) and is also used as a naturopathic treatment for thrush. Old Romany treatments are particularly successful in treating cystitis. You can add a heaped teaspoon of wild cranberry leaves to two cups of water, boil it down to one cup, and drink it.

Do not take long baths or use soap around the genitals.

Cystitis - Drinking cranberry juice, barley water, or a solution of baking soda helps relieve symptoms, as does drinking plenty of water. Alcohol and caffeine are aggravants. Citricidal, a grapefruit is an effective natural antibiotic to help cope with an attack.

Thrush - The application of plain, raw, live yogurt soothes inflamed genitals. Always wear cotton underwear and pants made of natural fibers. Avoid nylons and very close-fitting pants.

Hydrotherapy

As vaginal thrush may be a symptom of candida overgrowth in the bowel, Natalie recommends enemas with a little wheatgrass and acidophilus in the water, and not forgetting to take probiotics afterwards to help clean out the colon where the candida organism can live. We don't force the body in any way. It is a very gentle therapy that encourages the bowel to contract and flush out the waste matter accumulated there. An implant of acidophilus at the end of each treatment supplements the normal digestive bacteria in the bowel.

Recurrent cystitis may also be linked to an overgrowth of candida and can be helped by hydrotherapy. Natalie also prescribes special ingredients for enemas depending on the patient's illness.

Natalie will advise you on what food and drink to avoid and will try and find out why you are suffering recurring attacks - whether the problem is anatomical (a short urethra), hormonal or psychological, and will prescribe an appropriate constitutional remedy to build up your body's resistance in the future.

Allergies


If you suffer from an allergy it can sometimes be quite serious. With a peanut allergy for example, your mouth and throat swell up, you can't breathe and if you don't get a shot of adrenalin quickly you may die. Most allergies aren't deadly, but they can make life miserable.

Often allergies appear at the point where the allergen comes into contact with the body. The red, flaking, scaly skin of eczema may be a response to laundry detergent; the nose and eyes of a hay-fever sufferer run when they pick up pollen; a few people get swollen lips from eating eggs or strawberries, while others sneeze uncontrollably anywhere near a cat.

Although almost every part of the body can be affected with different symptoms by an allergy, the underlying mechanism is the same - an error in the immune system. We all have blood cells called lymphocytes which are the body's home guard, constantly on the lookout for invaders such as bacteria and viruses. When they come across something that they recognize as not part of the body's own proteins they produce antigens, which in turn produce antibodies (known as IgE) to neutralize it. When someone has an allergy, for reasons that are not yet clear, normally harmless substances like dust mites, cat hair or shellfish trigger off those antibodies. The swelling and redness are caused because the IgE antigens cause cells in body tissue, called mast cells, to produce histamine and other chemicals, which can quickly produce all sorts of effects from a runny nose or wheezy chest to skin rash or upset stomach. The IgE reaction provides the medical profession with a convenient marker of an allergy response.

Naturopathic treatments for allergies are safe and more effective at isolating the cause, and therefore finding a more permanent cure; orthodox treatment is only symptomatic. You can therefore consult a naturopathic practitioner without the necessity of involving your physician.

When Natalie looks at the subject of allergy; there are three key issues she keeps in mind:

  • The identification of the allergy
  • The fact that some people will be allergic to certain substances, e.g. shampoos, no matter how healthy they are otherwise
  • The need to bring the body back to a state where it is not allergic, this is the most important.

We need to ask - why are some people "allergic" and some people apparently not? Most allergies are caused by a weakness in the immune system, which is where treatments such as naturopathy, enzyme therapy, cellular therapy, immune therapy, homeopathy, juice or water fasting, organ detoxing and enemas can be of great assistance, strengthening the whole system so that the body is less likely to exhibit allergic symptoms.

Naturopathic Nutrition/Allergy Treatment

The digestive system is the key to our health, which is why many of the chronic illnesses and low-grade symptoms (aches and pains, swellings, frequent minor infections, insomnia, regular stomach upsets etc.) are due to hidden food allergies. Conditions associated with food allergies include migraine, eczema, thrombosis, arthritis, colitis, ear infection and childhood hyperactivity. When the digestive system is working properly, allergies are not a problem, but stress, a modern diet of refined foods and high fats, antibiotics, and a range of other factors can reduce its efficiency. When this happens, partially digested food particles can leak from the gut (Leaky Gut) into the bloodstream, where they trigger off an immune response, which resembles an allergic response.

Yet it is not only the conventional IgE response but also an IgG response, produced by the B lymphocytes system, which shows the existence of food allergies and can be easily tested for. The IgG antibodies tag on to the food particles, signaling to the clean-up cells in the blood that they should be removed. When the removal system is overwhelmed, these tagged particles are dumped all over the body, where they cause chemical reactions that in turn produce those runny noses, stiff joints, and constricted blood vessels of the typical allergic response.

Once the allergic foods have been identified with a blood test they can be eliminated from the diet while the patient is encouraged to vary their food intake, not having the same foods for four days while the digestive system repairs itself. Otherwise Natalie might put them on a special, raw food diet plan, or assist them in a fast. Selenium, zinc, Vitamin B complex and thymus extract can help supply the necessary nutrients during this period. The bioflavonoid (an extract of plant material) quercetin can reduce the amount of histamine produced by the mast cells, as can Vitamin C and bromelain.

Checks will also be made for an imbalance in the bacteria in the gut, liver problems or a candida infection which can make the bowel more "leaky". More regarding this will need to be addressed, so for more information please don't hesitate to email me.

If you need any advice or treatment for an illness not mentioned above, please just call or email me.