Choline sounds like chlorine; in contrast, it’s a nutrient essential for your brain, cardiovascular system and liver. If ever there was a nutrient that epitomised “is my diet enough?” then choline would at least be in the top two. In this article, we’re going to introduce why. For example, one study published in 2016 found that some of the population in the USA only … [Read more...]
Get to know your sleep cycles.
Sleep is important. We spend a third of our lives doing it. I don’t think you need me to tell you that. The last few years seem to have been characterised by every online expert offering everyday reminders. My particular favourite quote is from Professor Andrew Huberman. “If you want to know about someone’s health, ask them how they sleep.” It doesn’t end … [Read more...]
FIR Episode 56: Three Ways to use nutrition to Help IBD
In this episode of Free and Inspired Radio, discover two fundamental dietary changes to consider and the first supplement to look into to help with IBD. Hong Kong and Macau are among the top three regions in Asia with the highest prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Find out more about Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis and what sets them apart. Crohn’s … [Read more...]
Three natural ways to help with IBD
Hong Kong and Macau are among the top three regions in Asia with the highest prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).[1] What is IBD? Inflammatory bowel disease includes Crohn’s disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC). Its primary characteristics include repetitive episodes of inflammation of the digestive tract.[2] Other symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease … [Read more...]
FIR Episode 55: Mild Fatty Liver? Natural medicine solutions to help.
In this episode, discover one of the most common problems people over forty encounter – mild fatty liver. Click here to read the full article, or scroll down to listen to the podcast on your favourite platform! Currently, around a third of the world’s population is thought to have some fatty liver. In Asia, the prevalence of fatty liver is also significantly … [Read more...]
FIR Episode 54: A Beginner’s Guide to Using Supplements
The supplement landscape can be overwhelming but also, in some cases, misleading. Tune in to this Free and Inspired radio episode for your beginner’s guide to supplements. “I want to know what supplements I should be taking.” Discover how to transcend marketing filled with testimonials and promises unkept and take the steps to genuinely find the supplement you should be … [Read more...]
A beginner’s guide to using supplements
If you’re new to supplements and this is something you’ve thought about or said out loud, this article is for you. It’s January at the time of writing this, and “being healthier” is never higher on the list. The gyms fill up, my clinic gets busier, and people’s interest in using supplements tends to peak. “I want to know what supplements I should be taking.” The … [Read more...]
FIR Episode 53: The power of culinary herbs and spices.
From anti-inflammatory and antioxidant to having a profound effect on the gut microbiome, the properties of herbs and spices are various and broad. “I’ve been inspired by a paper that came out this week on the effect of culinary herbs and spices on the gut. This paper inspired me to put together a full episode of the health benefits of adding more herbs and spices to your … [Read more...]
Most Prescribed: Saffron for Mental Health
Those who know me well, both personally and professionally, know two things. The first is that everything is "my favourite", and the second is that I love prescribing saffron clinically for mental health. The story of my love affair with saffron began almost ten years ago. On a whim, I travelled interstate to Sydney to attend an informal fireside chat with two world leaders … [Read more...]
FIR Episode 47: A Beginner’s Guide to Probiotics – Part 2
Welcome to part two of one of the most downloaded Free and Inspired radio episodes – A Beginner’s Guide to probiotics. In part one of the guide, which you can listen to here, find out what a probiotic is and some tips and tricks to get started if you’ve never taken them. In this episode, discover some of the conditions where probiotics have evidence behind them and where … [Read more...]
How to choose the right probiotic for you.
Is there a way to choose the right probiotic for you? The value of the global probiotics market in 2021 was just under sixty billion US dollars.[1] That’s a lot of options when it comes to choosing the right probiotic for you. A basic search for probiotics on iHerb, the popular online supplement retailer, can deliver up to five hundred confusing options. For example, … [Read more...]
FIR Episode 46: Vitamin D for IBS, sleep and depression.
We're diving deeper into Vitamin D in this Free and Inspired Radio episode. We all know it is for bone health, but what about IBS, depression, sleep and protection from viral infections? Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in Hong Kong. Mainly due to the climate, estimates are between sixty to seventy per cent of Hong Kong residents are deficient. This … [Read more...]
Correct Vitamin D deficiency for IBS, sleep and immunity?
Vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in Hong Kong. So much so that it’s more of a surprise when my patient’s blood tests return showing sufficiency. There are a few reasons for this high level of deficiency that we are going to cover in the article. One of the main reasons Vitamin D is so important is the variety of functions it performs in the body. A key … [Read more...]
FIR Episode 43: Melatonin for IBS and Depression?
In this episode of Free and Inspired radio, discover how Melatonin works in the body. For example, find out how it interacts with other hormones such as cortisol, some things you didn’t know (Melatonin and IBS?!) and, of course, some guidelines on how to take it. Melatonin use is rising sharply post-pandemic and is often polarising in its effects. Some find … [Read more...]
FIR Episode 40: Herbs and Supplements for Poor Sleep
Although the prevalence of insomnia in Hong Kong is high, out of four thousand five hundred people surveyed, only forty per cent of adults and ten per cent of children and teenagers sought help to fix it. Let alone tried herbs or supplements for sleep. That’s sixty per cent of people, or six out of ten, experiencing less than optimal sleep in Hong Kong. This deficit … [Read more...]