Health Information

Many people with diabetes start to view their kitchen cupboard as the enemy. Food becomes a chore. A constant reminder of what you can't eat, of what you have given up. However, food - the right food - is on your side. When you start to think of your food as medicine, and as every meal being an opportunity to fine tune your health, then you are on the way to being back in control again. 

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The humble nettle may safely improve glycemic control in type 2 diabetic patients and also reduce inflammatory markers. Tests on nettle leaf, taken as capsules or as a tincture were carried out with promising results.

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Red rice yeast (Monascus purpureus) is a food supplement made of a red coloured yeast grown on rice.

Red rice yeast contains many natural compounds including a group of fourteen monacolins. One of them, monacolin K, is what the statin drug lovastatin is made from. These monacolins work in similar way to statin drugs and lower cholesterol levels. 

Red rice yeast does not cause the same side effects but is still efficacious in lowering harmful LDL cholesterol.

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One in every three adults in the UK has high blood pressure. About a third of these people do not know that they have it as there are no obvious symptoms and it is often only picked up when their GP checks blood pressure during a routine visit.

High blood pressure is increasingly perceived as an acceptable norm amongst older people. I often have patients tell me that they have no health problems only for them to reveal, later in the consultation, that they have high blood pressure but that it’s ok because their medicines manage it.

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If your doctor has told you that you have high cholesterol, he/she will mean that the LDL (Low Density) cholesterol (not HDL (High Density) cholesterol) level in your blood test is too high. It is important to keep LDL cholesterol levels low as high levels can make you more likely to have a heart attack or a stroke.

Unless you are in imminent danger from heart complications, and your doctor can advise this, there is a lot you can do to help yourself before you start to take statin drugs. While statin drugs have helped many people they do carry a risk of side effects, such as muscle pain and weakness, that many people find intolerable.

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Heart disease, known as cardiovascular disease or CVD, is the leading cause of death in the world. There are many drugs to treat heart disease but many often have side effects, especially when people end up taking 3, 4 or 5 other drugs together (a 'cocktail' of drugs known as polypharmacy). So patients often ask us if there are natural alternatives. Monica looks at the evidence behind some of the herbs that are used by medical herbalists to keep their patients heart healthy.

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How can you support your heart health as you age through herbal medicine?

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So you've had a checkup at the doctor, and been given a scare as your blood pressure is up and next time you go back you'll be on medication. But you can do a huge amount yourself to reduce your blood pressure.

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Drink your way to a healthier heart!

Here are our 5 refreshing herbal teas to help lower cholesterol.

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Using a combination of diet, exercise, herbs and micronutrient supplements it is possible to reduce blood sugar levels.

We recently had a patient who followed this approach under the supervision of his doctor. After nine days of rigidly following a diabetes diet and taking some recommended supplements, his fasting blood sugar dropped from an alarming 15 mmol/L to 8.6 mmol/L. In his case diabetes medication was also needed to bring it down further, but his dose is at the low end and he is managing well.

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