What is Mould Illness?

The Body Fabulous Functional Medicine team are specialists in supporting patients clear mycotoxins. Have you been exposed to mould and now feeling unwell? Chronic undiagnosed illnesses can sometimes be tracked back to mould exposure, often found in your own home or workplace. Toxic mould exposure is connected to long-term symptoms such as allergies, histamine issues, fatigue, skin rashes, insomnia, memory loss, trouble concentrating and confusion. Mould illness can be the underlying trigger to depression and anxiety and can even lead to muscle cramps, numbness in extremities, light sensitivity and hair loss. Once you have identified if you have a mould illness it is important to eliminate the mould from your environment and treat yourself to clear the mould from your system with a detoxification protocol.

We recommend Great Plains Mould Testing via urine sample which you can order HERE

Fungi are able to grow on almost any surface, especially if the environment is warm and wet. Inner wall materials of buildings, wall paper, fiber glass insulation, ceiling tiles, and gypsum support are all good surfaces for fungi to colonise. These fungi then release mycotoxins into the environment causing symptoms of many different chronic diseases.

There are thousands of types of mould but we test for toxigenic moulds. As the name implies, these molds produce mycotoxins that can cause serious health effects. The toxic chemicals found in these types of moulds can be absorbed into the body when one inhales them, eats them, or even touches them.

Many people suffering from mould illness struggle to get a proper diagnosis and investigation.

It’s common to think “my house is clean” it can’t be mould. However, mould comes in many forms and some are not visible to the naked eye.

For most people, toxins get flushed out from the body when eliminating waste.

For some though, the toxic load is so high that it’s too much for the body to eliminate them all efficiently. For others, they may have poor detoxification processes or they may even recycle or reabsorb these mycotoxins back, as the body tries to eliminate them. Genetics plays a huge role in this difference from person to person.

For further support on mould illness please email info@mybodyfabulous.co.uk

Beating Brain Fog

Brain fog is a frustrating symptom we all feel from time to time but what happens when it becomes a more frequent problem?

It can leave you feeling confused, struggling to focus or put your thoughts into words, but why does it happen?

The answer is brain fog can actually be a symptom of many things including a nutrient deficiency, sleep disorder, bacterial overgrowth from over consumption of sugar, depression, or even a thyroid condition. Other common brain fog causes include eating too much and too often, inactivity, chronic stress, menopause and a poor diet.

Your brain works hard all day long, so feed it well and you can avoid many of these triggers. Reducing sugar in your diet prevents the highs and lows of a daily blood sugar roller coaster and making sure you drink plenty of water avoids fogginess due to dehydration

If you feel brain fog has become a real problem for you then you should adjust your diet to support your body and brain function. Aim for a diet of roughly 50% healthy fat from nuts, avocados, coconut oil, olive oil, wild salmon, organic eggs, and grass-fed meat.

As well as good fats, leafy greens also offer a plethora of fatigue-fighting benefits. They contain nitrates, which improve blood flow throughout the body and can reduce brain fog.

Most greens (like spinach, kale, and collard greens) contain high levels of vitamin C and some iron, so they can help fight fatigue caused by an iron deficiency — a common cause of tiredness and brain fog.

As well as changing your diet, try including regular exercise, reducing alcohol intake and working on good quality sleep. There are many different supplements that can be useful for treating brain fog but as a general rule choose a supplement with a high concentration of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Of all the omega-3s, DHA is the most beneficial for your brain.

If you have tried everything above and you are still struggling then it’s time to get some help. Blood testing for nutritional deficiencies and hormonal imbalances is recommended if the brain fog has been there more than 6 months. Time to ditch the fog and live life to the full again!

The Link Between Sleep and Weight Loss

The debate about the best way to achieve a healthy weight always revolves around eating and movement. If you want to look better, the most common suggestion is “eat less and move more.” But it’s not that simple. Sometimes between living your life, working and exercising, you’re forgetting to sleep enough. 

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 35% of people are sleep deprived. And when you consider that the statistic for obesity is nearly identical, it’s easy to connect the dots and discover that the connection is not a coincidence.

It’s not so much that if you sleep, you will lose weight, but if you are sleep-deprived, meaning that you are not getting enough minutes of good quality sleep, your metabolism will not function properly. When you don't sleep enough, your cortisol levels rise. This is the stress hormone that is frequently associated with fat gain. Cortisol also activates reward centers in your brain that make you want food. At the same time, lack of sleep causes us to be short tempered, more irritable and far more likely to choose unhealthy snack options.

A recent study carried out by researchers from Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland looked at the associations between sleep, stress and success at sticking to a weight loss program. They found overwhelmingly that people who had less than six hours sleep per day were less likely to achieve weight loss than those who had between six and eight hours. The researchers also concurred that high stress levels also affected weight loss. When combined with poor sleep, stressed people were about half as likely to be successful at weight loss than their less stressed counterparts who got between six and eight hours of sleep.

Of course weight issues are not all the fault of poor sleep patterns. Your bulging waistline could equally be caused by any number of different factors including sneaky snacking, poor genetics, stress, night shifts, food addictions, sugary drinks, too much alcohol, a food intolerance or an imbalance in gut bacteria. However one thing is clear if you are getting less than 6 hours quality sleep every night then your body will not be in prime 'fat burning' mode.

Could You Be Suffering With Adrenal Fatigue?

If you answer yes to these 6 questions then read on…

·                  Do you have difficulty getting up in the morning even after a long sleep?

·                  Do you experience high levels of fatigue each day?

·                  Do you feel you have an inability to handle stress?

·                  Do you crave sweet or salty foods?

·                  Do you have higher energy levels in the evenings?

·                  Is your immune system low meaning you catch colds and virus’ easily?

The adrenals are two small glands that sit just on top of the kidneys. They keep cortisol and adrenaline in check (two major stress hormones but essential components to our metabolism) as well as regulate inflammation in the body. An episode of acute stress or prolonged, chronic stress can cause adrenal glands to become overloaded and ineffective leaving you feeling exhausted.

If you feel you could be suffering with adrenal fatigue here are some steps to take;

• 1. Cut out sugars– Avoid sugary foods, cereals, etc. and be aware that sugar is an additive in many breads, condiments and dressings. Try stevia or Xylitol as an alternative.

• 2. Add healthy fats – Coconut oil, ghee, organic olive oil, and clarified butter all greatly support adrenal health.

• 3. Get more Sleep – Rest wherever possible and try turning off all electronics 1 hour before bed and aim for 8 solid hours sleep per night.

• 4. Sip on Green Tea. Organic green tea has high levels of nutritive phytochemicals which support the adrenal glands. Matcha green tea is the best.

• 5. Eliminate stress – Try yoga, tai chi or meditation to relax overly-stressed adrenal glands.

• 6. Improve your diet – Add plenty of leafy green vegetables to your diet throughout the day and at least 40 grams of protein in the morning. Try eggs or Greek yoghurt for breakfast.

• 7. Consume Natural Salt - Natural salts like Himalayan salt contain many trace minerals, which help to support the adrenals. .

• 8. Limit the use of stimulants - Coffee and alcohol should be moderated when you are suffering from adrenal fatigue.

• 9. Don’t over-train at the Gym – Excessive Cardio or endurance training is really hard on the adrenals. With adrenal fatigue try a gentler form of exercise.

It can take 6-24 months to reverse adrenal fatigue but at Body Fabulous we can write you a specific plan to support you with your diet and supplementation regime to regain your health and get that energy back again!