INSIDEDON’T TAKE:

A Vacation From Vaccinations p23

BREAST CANCER: Alternative Options Explored p28

SPRING HAS SPRUNGNatural treatments to help you fight seasonal allergies

HEALTH MATTERS Writer: Hazelann Williams - Design: Thierry Lagrin

The Voice supplement page 21/22/27/28

AP

RIL 25 - M

AY 1, 2013

| THE VOICE APRIL 25 - MAY1, 201322 HEALTHMATTERS

By Hazelann Williams

THE dark cold days of winter are behind us and Spring is finally in full bloom. But while many of us look for-

ward to hotter temperatures, there is a large portion of the community who dread the im-minent threat of Spring and Summer allergies.

There are many pollutants and allergens in our ecosystem that can cause adverse reactions, it is estimated that one in three of the UK population will suffer from an allergy at some point in their lifetime and with the number of sufferers rising each year, April 22-27 has been designated Al-lergy Awareness week.

While some allergies are peren-nial and last all year round, there is one notable culprit that affects many people during the summer months and that is hay fever.

BLOODSTREAMHay fever is caused when an im-mune system has an abnormal re-action to pollen which is around one in five people in the UK, ac-cording to the NHS. The immune system interprets the allergen as an invader and responds by re-leasing a chemical called hista-mine into the bloodstream.

Histamine causes inflamma-tion of the sinuses and eyes as a way to block the allergen from entering the body and also trig-gers sneezing as it tries to expel the invader.

Antihistamines are generally effective against mild cases of hay fever, but if you are weary of treating your symptoms with prescription drugs there are some natural remedies that can help you keep the reactions to a mini-mum.

REACTIONSNatalie Hall founder of Salute Skincare has dedicated her ca-reer to producing natural, clean, chemical free products for all skin types. A hay fever sufferer herself, she has offered a few tips on combating your allergies.

If you are prone to allergic re-actions during the summer and know what causes them, it’s best if you avoid the irritant altogeth-er. However, if you are unsure seek medical advice and ask your doctor for an allergy test, to de-termine the exact cause of your discomfort.

Never scratch or rub the ir-ritated or inflamed area.

Chamomile lotion is a great cure for rashes; the oil also helps prevent sneezing.

Green tea blocks the pro-duction of histamines and help builds the immune system.

Spring has sprungWe look at a range of natural treatments to help you fight seasonal allergies.

ALLERGY FACTS

Allergic rhinitisThe medical term for hay fe-ver is seasonal allergic rhinitis. Rhinitis means inflammation of the inside of the nose.

Some people can also experi-ence hay-fever-like symptoms when they are exposed to other allergy-triggering substances, such as dust mites and animal fur.

Pollen countThe pollen count is a measure-ment of the amount of pollen in the air. The higher the count the more severe symptoms of hay fever can become (depend-ing on the specific type of pol-len you are allergic to).

The Met Office provides a pollen forecast. If the count is high you can take preventative steps such as taking an anti-histamine before leaving the house.

You can have an allergy to:

spring.

the end of spring and begin-ning of summer.

time from early spring to late autumn.

Self-help tipsIt is sometimes possible to pre-vent the symptoms of hay fever by taking some basic precau-tions, such as:

-glasses to stop pollen getting in your eyes when you are out-doors.

take a shower after being out-doors to remove the pollen on your body.

pollen count is high (over 50).

Facts and tips provided by NHS Choices. http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hay-fever/pages/introduction.aspx

27APRIL 25 - MAY1, 2013 THE VOICE | HEALTHMATTERS

By Hazelann Williams

YOU’VE booked the time off work, paid the travel agent and brought a whole

new wardrobe but have you done the most impor-tant thing for your holiday and checked to see if you need an inoculation?

Probably not, accord-ing to the NHS almost one in four UK holidaymakers travel without necessary vaccinations, despite go-ing to countries with life-threatening infectious dis-eases. In fact, a massive 60 percent of tourists catch typhoid, also known as traveller’s diarrhoea, when abroad. Typhoid causes di-arrhoea, nausea and vom-iting and can last up to three days. About 10 per-

cent of all cases are serious and lead to hospitalisation, but all cases are prevent-able with inoculation.

As a precaution against the spread of diseases, some countries require you to have an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP) be-fore you enter. For exam-ple, countries in Africa and South America will not ac-cept travellers from an area where there is yellow fever, unless they can prove that they have been vaccinated against it.

It was only last Thursday

(April 18) that the UK gov-ernment, in conjunction with the Ghana Field Epi-demiology and Laboratory Training Program reported an outbreak of yellow fe-ver in the Jirapa district, which has caused the death of three people.

In the UK there are 15 dif-ferent inoculations avail-able on the NHS, including cholera, yellow fever and typhoid. Polio, typhoid and cholera are all free-to-receive vaccinations.

So, before jetting off on your well-deserved break visit your doctor for advice

on inoculations, to make sure your dream holiday doesn’t turn into a night-mare.

VACCINATION FACTS

The following travel vaccinations are free on the NHS:

-nus, diphtheria and polio booster).

-tis A.

However, you’re likely to have to pay for travel vac-cinations against meningo-coccal meningitis, hepatitis B, yellow fever, rabies, tu-berculosis, Japanese en-cephalitis and tick-borne encephalitis, regardless of whether you have the vac-cinations at your GP sur-gery or at a private travel clinic (though GPs can opt not to charge you).

There are several things to consider when planning your travel vaccinations, including:

-

tries you are visiting – in some cases, the region of a country you are visiting will also be important.

-ling – some diseases are more common at certain times of the year, for ex-ample during the rainy season.

-ing – in general, you will be more at risk of getting diseases in rural areas than in urban areas.

and staying in hostels or camping, you may be more at risk than if you were on a package holiday and staying in a hotel.

staying – the longer your stay, the greater your risk of being exposed to diseases.

Before going on holiday make sure you are protected from infectious diseases.

Continues on Page 28

Don’t take a vacation from vaccinations

| THE VOICE APRIL 25 - MAY1, 201328 HEALTHMATTERS

Breast Cancer: Conventional Medicine – Or is there anything else out there?

SPONSORED FEATURE

In 2010, 49,564 UK women were diagnosed with breast cancer. Black women were one third less likely to develop breast can-cer than white women. Yet, a

higher percentage of black women died from breast cancer than their white counterparts due to them contracting a more aggressive form.

The standard conventional ap-proach to cancer is surgery, radio-therapy, and chemotherapy. The aim is to target and kill as much of the tumour as possible but un-fortunately normal cells are also killed off in the process and the immune system becomes lowered. The immune system is vital to our health as cancer cells which are continually developing in our bodies are usually destroyed by white blood cells before they can develop into dangerous tumours.

Cancers appear when the immune system becomes suppressed and can no longer cope with the can-cerous cells. Suppressors of the immune system are: carcinogens ie smoking; pathogens ie viruses; lifestyle factors ie stress or diet; environmental toxins like pesti-cides; age and genetics.

What are the other approaches?Research shows many people are turning to Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for an integrative or alternative ap-proach to their healthcare. Prac-titioners of CAM understand that the body and the mind are irrevo-cably linked offering treatments which help to improve physical, emotional and mental well-being. Examples of CAM therapies are: acupuncture which can be used to help cope with side effects such as nausea, pain, and fatigue after

cancer treatments; massage which can be used to ease related stress; meditation, hypnosis or yoga for mind and body relaxation; imagery/visualisation which uses the mind to help heal the body; creative outlets ie art, music, or dance and energy medicine using energy fields for healing eg Tai Chi or Reiki. There are those peo-ple who choose to work alongside conventional medicine and those who choose to opt out but both may use treatments like detoxi-fication, nutrition, supplements and herbal medicine.

Whichever route you take make sure you seek professional advice as this is a time when in-formed advice is essential. How-ever there are some basic things which should never be left out of your daily healthcare regime these include: rest, exercise, a healthy diet including water (studies show 10% of cancers may be linked to

diet.), forgiveness (many people carry around hurt and pain from the past), stress reduction tech-niques, a support network of fam-ily, friends and professionals but most of all love yourself!

For further information on CAM or Breast Cancer visit:www.yestolife.org.ukwww.cnhc.org.ukwww.betterdays.uk.com

Levive- Nutritional Anti- Oxidant Drink

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Emma: 07958120365 www.ardysslifeuk.com

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Adelaide: 07534624288 www.ardysslife.com/a.asane

Jasmine: 07941988847 www.ardysslife.com/jaztelle

THE 5 SUPERFRUITS IN THE LEVIVE HEALTH DRINK ARE:1. Acai Berry – around 20,000 ORAC* 2. Goji Berry – around 30,000 ORAC*

3. Mangosteen fruit – around 20,000 ORAC* 4. Noni Berry – around 30,000 ORAC*

5. Pomegranate – around 10,500 ORAC*

Health & Nutritional drinksIn order to maintain health, it is neces-sary to produce antioxidants equal to the amount of free radicals found in the body. Antioxidants are health boost-ing compounds also known as phyto-nutrients. These are found in all fruits but in greater quantities in superfruits. A diet high in phyto-nutrients has been shown to help fight the diseases responsible for 75% of all deaths each year, including heart disease and cancer.

How effectively an antioxidant-rich fruit neutralises free radicals is measured in terms of its ORAC score. Just for comparison, an orange has ORAC score of 750. The body needs approximately 5,000 antioxidants per

day to fight free radicals. Free radicals are rogue molecules that proliferate (grow, multiply, thrive) in our bodies as a result of exposure to environmental chemicals, convenience foods and stress. Even the ageing process and exercising produces more of them. A balanced diet usually provide us with between 1,700 and 2,000 antioxidants leaving us with a deficit of 3,000 a day that must be provided through supple-ments.

“The amount of antioxidants in your body is directly proportional to the amount of the time you are to live” Dr. Richard Cuttler, former Director of the National Institute of Aging.

For more information or to order the Levive healthy option drink please contact below: Nigel, Emma, Joanne, Adelaide or Jasmine

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Article Written By:Marion Makonnen Bsc (Hons)Medical Herbalist, NLP practitioner and ResearcherDirector - Instrumental Health.Based at the TLC Health Products and Services Ltd349 Green Lanes N4 1DZ.Tel: 079 3299 3389Web: www.instrumentalhealth.co.ukEmail: instrumentalhealth@yahoo.comWeb: www.tlchealthservice.co.uk Tel: 0208 809 1719Other therapies carried out at the TLC Centre include: Private GP services, Pregnancy and Ante-Natal, Colonics, Osteopathy (back pain), Footcare, Lymphatic Drainage, Massage, Arthritis and Ageing, Sports Massage and a range of Health Products.

Continues from page 27

may be more vulnerable to infection than others, while some vaccinations cannot be given to people with certain medical conditions.

stay –for example, whether you will be spending a lot of time outdoors, such as trekking or working in rural areas.

you may come into contact with more diseases if you are working in a refugee camp or helping after a natural disaster.

-ting – for example, a doctor or nurse may require additional vaccinations.

you may be more at risk of getting dis-eases that are spread by animals, such as rabies.

Information facts provided by NHS Choices http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Travel-immunisation/Pages/Introduc-tion.aspx

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