How to treat heartburn naturally – part 1
I am very lucky that despite having many digestive issues, I haven’t had heartburn. However, I am aware as we go into the holiday sesaon, when people go on holiday their diets change so your chances of getting heartburn increases.
Heartburn, which is a symptom of acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), occurs when stomach acid moves up into your esophagus. It can bring a lot of discomfort to those who experience it. It may also come with other symptoms, such as sore throat, long-term cough and voice hoarseness.
1. Use baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
While this is not recommended as a regular solution, it may come in handy whenever you’re experiencing extreme pain due to heartburn. Simply dissolve half a teaspoon of baking soda in one-half cup of water and drink it. This will help neutralize stomach acid and ease the burning sensation heartburn brings.
2. Chamomile Tea
Try drinking a cup of chamomile tea before bedtime, and see if it can help alleviate heartburn. Chamomile can help soothe inflammation and help you sleep better.
References
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Starve a fever?
There is an old wives saying, feed a cold and starve a fever, but what does the latest science say? Although eating less when we are ill can sometimes help us to recover faster. The loss of appetite when we have an infection is a biological "trick" that simply allows bacteria to spread. Eating nutritious food when we have an infection can reduce its severity and recover time say researchers. Researchers have tracked the health of laboratory mice infected with the Salmonella bacteria and found that natural loss of appetite helped the bacteria spread from the intestines to other tissues. By comparison, mice fed extra calories lived longer. This discovery could lead to new ways to tackle bacterial infections that don't rely on antibiotics. Reference Rao, Shelia et al, 2017, Pathogen-Mediated Inhibition of Anorexia Promotes Host Survival and Transmission, Cell, Volume 168, Issue 3, 503 - 516

Good Posture Exercise
Having spoken previously about why poor posture is bad for you, I wanted to move on to give you a simple exercise that helps promote good posture. Brugger's exercise routine is devised to activate postural muscles weakened and simultaneously stretched by a prolonged sitting posture. Slumped Position
Check the tension in your upper back and shoulders in the slumped posture and then in the Brugger's position, to see if you notice any difference as the muscle tension is dramatically reduced.
Brugger Exercise Posture
Step By Step Guide
- Sit perched towards the edge of your seat; this will naturally place your lower back into a curve (lumbar lordosis) with your butt sticking out a little. As you do this your breastbone (sternum) will naturally lift up.
- Separate your legs to 45 degrees each side with your feet turned out slightly and in line with your knees.
- Your shoulders are relaxed and down with your chin tucked in, making the back of your neck longer – imagine a piece of string is attached to the top of your head and someone is lifting you up.
- Fully straighten (extend) both elbows and arms.
- Make sure you keep your shoulders down and imagine your shoulder blades [scapula] are pushing down and together to form a V.
- Turn your thumbs out (externally rotate), palms up.
- Separate your fingers.
- You should now be in the position show above in the Brugger's exercise posture picture.
- Hold for 30 seconds.

What is the difference between sports and deep tissue massage?
Deep tissue is a very descriptive name and is self-explanatory. The confusion comes when it is compared to sports massage. The big difference is the focus. Sports massage is dedicated to
- improving sports performance
- prevention of and treating sports injuries
- You work out religiously, but aren't as relgious about stretching
- You cycle or run to work and don't think to stretch
- You play sports but don't cross train so have specific trouble spots
- Your performance (in a particular sport) has dropped
- You have a history of injuries and want to reduce the likely hood of further injuries
- You work at a computer all day and your neck, shoulders & back are chronically sore
- You are so tense your back feels like concrete
- You have tired achy legs
- You are in pain
- You are stiff (or are unable to move your neck/arm/leg freely)
- You are stressed or anxious
- You have a knot or a muscle spasm

