Happy Mother’s Day!!
Went to a very interesting open day at the College of Naturopathic Medicine yesterday with many clever practitioners speaking of their various methods for treating and preventing illness through diet, acupuncture, herbs, irridology and so on. Sitting there, it just confirmed to me how limited our western system of diagnosis and drug treatment really is. Interestingly, a GP and a pharmacist were sitting next to me in the audience which I thought made a lot of sense. We need to be more open-minded as a society when it comes to treatment methods. In Australia for example, naturopaths can be found in a GP’s surgery as par for the course and are not considered quacks as can sometimes still be the case here in the UK.
Naturopathy deals with the root cause of a condition of which illness may just be the tip of the iceberg. By using diet and supplements, exercise, meditation and stress management techniques to strengthen and heal our bodies, we may live longer and healthier rather than only going to the doctor when illness is already a fact. Complementary and western style medicine ought to go hand in hand – hopefully this will become the norm in the future.
If you are interested in naturopathy, herbalism, acupuncture or acupressure you can go to one of the student clinics at the college where you pay a fraction of the price for treatment so you can see for yourself. You can found out more information from the link here.
Today’s green smoothie recipe for energy and vitality was given to us by the inspiring herbalist Lorna Driver-Davies. She recommends that you drink the smoothie immediately after making it and before breakfast so that your body can absorb the big nutrient boost quickly and efficiently.
Green smoothie by Lorna Driver-Davies
500ml filtered or spring water (not carbonated)
A few sprigs of fresh mint
A little fresh ginger (I used 2′ ginger root)
A small pinch of turmeric or cayenne pepper
A handful of any berries of your choice or kiwi and 1 apple
1/2 avocado
1/2 lemon, juice of
1/2 cucumber, chopped
Handful of spinach/kale/cabbage
Superfood powder/spirulina/barley grass/wheat grass powder
Blend all and enjoy! x