By Tim Altman 20/01/2021 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Mickel Therapy, Naturopathy, Testimonials adrenal fatigue, Breathing, Breathing coach Torquay, Breathing For Relaxation, Breathing retraining, cfs, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic illness, Diaphragm Breathing, Fatigue, fibromyalgia, immune system, mickel therapy, Online consultation

Testimonial: Adrenal Fatigue Recovery

‘Learning about Mickel Therapy and Respiratory Therapy has been so insightful and valuable to my health. After years of adrenal fatigue I finally have more energy back, thanks Tim!’ Olivia, Geelong

Above is a testimonial from a client who came to me with adrenal fatigue.

In her treatment we combined Breathing Dynamics diaphragmatic breathing exercises and focusing on taking her body out of ‘internal overdrive’ using the neuroscience understanding from Mickel Therapy.

After only 3 session is 6 weeks she had experienced a recovery from her fatigue and was feeling great again for the first time in years.

It’s not always this swift in recovery, but it;s wonderful to see when it occurs. Credit also to Olivia who complied with all of her ‘home work’ and applied the principles of keeping it simple, practicing and persisting.

My job is to teach the techniques and guide clients to recovery. Their job is to apply the principles in consistent practice. Olivia did that extremely well, so she thoroughly deserved her new found energy levels.

By Tim Altman 08/01/2021 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Fasting, Latest News, Mickel Therapy, Naturopathy, Nutrition and Weight Loss, Testimonials Breathing retraining, cfs, CFS recovery, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic illness, Fasting, Fatigue, fibromyalgia, IBS, immune system, juice fast, mental health, mickel therapy, Naturopath Torquay, nutrition, Online consultation, Tim Altman

Testimonial: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) Recovery

“Hi Tim, just wanted to say thanks for all the guidance over the last 12 months. My physical health is at it’s best since getting crook, and my mental health, and my ability to handle stress has improved greatly. This has been from all the little things that I have implemented through your guidance. Looking forward to taking that next step in my health this year.” Brandon, Colac

Above is a lovely new year’s message from a client who came to me just over 12 months ago with chronic fatigue syndrome or CFS.

His main, or most prominent symptoms were chronic fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, anxiety and shortness of breath.

His program included a combination of

Behavioural and lifestyle modifications based on the neuroscience principles of Mickel Therapy aimed at detecting the triggers that lead to or increase symptoms and lessening the impact of these, or changing the behaviours or subconscious habits that lead to symptoms. This aspect is grossly underrated, but essential in the recovery from any chronic illness.
Breath retraining using diaphragmatic breathing rhythms taught in a 4-5 stage process over time to increase energy production, regulate the autonomic nervous system and increase blood and lymph flow throughout the body.
Nutritional changes and optimisation, culminating in a comprehensive 7-10 day juice fast followed by 3-4 week re-introduction to food process.
The use of a small range of specifically targeted herbs and nutritional medicines that are all pure extracts (derived directly from plants rather than being synthetically manufactured) for increased bio-availability.

If you or someone you know has chronic fatigue syndrome, CFS, post-viral syndrome, adrenal fatigue, fibromyalgia, IBS, anxiety or any other chronic complaint, contact me via tim@timaltman.com.au or 0425 739 918.

My work is equally effective online as it is in person – in fact the client who is the subject of this post was an online client.

By Tim Altman 07/01/2021 Breathing Dynamics, Evolutionary Medicine, Latest News, Performance, Sleep Enhancement Asthma, Breathing, Breathing coach melbourne, Breathing coach Torquay, Breathing for Performance, Breathing For Relaxation, Breathing For Sport, Breathing retraining, cfs, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic illness, Diaphragm Breathing, Fatigue, fibromyalgia, IBS, mental health, Nose breathing, Performance, snoring, Tim Altman

Take The Mind Out of Mindfulness – It’s Also a Physical Thing!

In my last post I described Meditation as Medicine courtesy the huge amount of research pointing to the physiological and psychological benefits, and the breathing is the centre or anchor of all meditation, and mindfulness is the objective.

If it is so good for us, why has it not caught on more?

Perhaps, because we are so engaged in our heads, or our minds are so busy all of the time, sitting to meditate and quieten the mind is just not that easy.

Many people struggle to quieten or focus their thoughts, or experience ‘mindfulness’, for more than a few minutes at a time. Some struggle to do this at all.

For so many sitting down to meditate or even practice mindfulness whilst going about their day can feel like mental effort, or be frustrating, or futile – people often say that ‘meditation is not for me’.

I dispute that. It’s just that they haven’t learn how to do it properly or consistently yet. It doesn’t have to be only a mental thing, or a mental effort.

The base of all meditation, mindfulness, yoga, martial arts etc. is the breath.

By relaxing and focusing on the breath, you firstly settle the nervous system.

By focusing on the breath, the mind focuses.

By settling the breath, the mind settles and quietens.

One experiences mindfulness.

We know from research on mindfulness and meditation, that when your nervous system becomes parasympathetic dominant, you experience the ‘relaxation response’ and you are more likely to experience mindfulness at a greater depth.

We also know that the nervous system that regulates whether we are relaxed or stressed, also regulates all of our automatic functions, and, of all of these automatic functions, the breath is the one you can consciously control or modify with ease – with training.

Therefore, by learning to use the breath correctly, using the nose, diaphragm and in certain rhythms, one can settle the nervous system, relax and increase the likelihood that you will experience mindfulness, or meditation, and as a result, you get the most potent medicine available to us – and all of the physiological and psychological benefits that go along with it.

What makes this even better is that meditation, or mindfulness is not a mental effort, or solely a mental process. It’s also a physical process. And this part is easy to learn.

If you find meditation difficult to do, or difficult to maintain for periods of time, then make it a physical thing more than a mental effort. Learn how to breathe ideally to create the physical state that will make you more likely to be mindful more often, and to either begin your meditation practice, or take your current practice to a much deeper level.

At Mindful Life Training, www.mindfullife.com.au, we offer both online and in person courses on both functional breathing for meditation/mindfulness, and mindfulness courses t businesses and organisations.

You will also find my comprehensive online breathing course on the home page of this website – https://timaltman.com.au/

By Tim Altman 28/09/2020 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Latest News, Mickel Therapy, Naturopathy, Nutrition and Weight Loss, Performance, Sleep Enhancement blood sugar, Breathing, Breathing coach melbourne, Breathing coach Torquay, Breathing for Performance, Breathing For Relaxation, Breathing retraining, cfs, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic illness, Diaphragm Breathing, Fatigue, fibromyalgia, IBS, immune system, Melbourne, mental health, mickel therapy, naturopath melbourne, Naturopath Torquay, nutrition, Online consultation, Performance, Tim Altman

3 Top Health Tips For Surviving CoVid and Thriving Beyond

After having specialised for many years in treating people with chronic illnesses such as CFS, fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive complaints, as well as working at the other end of the well-being spectrum with corporates and athletes to improve performance, here are my top three well-being tips for surviving/thriving during CoVid and lessons we can learn so we thrive, going beyond.

These draw from research in nutritional medicine, neuroscience, psychoneuroimmunology, epigenetics, evolutionary medicine, physiology and biochemistry.

1. Practice diaphragmatic breathing rhythms 3 times daily for 10 minutes ea.

Most people breathe nowhere near their full potential – twice as often as we should (according to diagnostic norms) using our chest and shoulders instead of our diaphragm, and with our mouth in addition to, or instead of our nose. This impairs energy production by the cells, upsets our nervous system putting us in constant low to mid-level fight or flight mode, and can significantly reduce our performance and contribute to many health conditions, including:

asthma and breathing difficulties
sleep issues – including snoring and sleep apnoea
fatigue and chronic pain
anxiety and depression
headaches and migraines
allergies and sinusitis
IBS and other digestive complaints

Breathing is also the central, or base practice in meditation, most martial arts, yoga, tai-chi etc. The volume of research on breath practice, and particularly meditation is now huge.

Enough to say that breath-work and meditation are medicine – both physically and mentally.

If you already have a meditation practice, incorporate the breathing rhythms into your practice, especially at the start, as it will settle your nervous system into relaxation mode more quickly, and take the practice to a deeper level.

If you don’t, start with the regular breathing rhythms.

To start, see my online breathing course via https://timaltman.com.au/

2. Eat more fruit and vegetables.

The most common denominator from the last 100 years or so of nutritional research is that the more fruit and vegetables you eat, the better your quality of life, and immune system, and the more you prevent the chronic illnesses that account for 90% of medical expenses and deaths in the western world.

Aim for a minimum of 6 full handfuls (your handful) of vegetables and 3 handfuls of seasonal fruit to your climate daily.

That = 9 handfuls of fruit and vegetables daily. If you struggle to achieve it, reduce your intake of processed foods, grains, dairy etc. as they provide nowhere the bang for buck nutritionally that fruit and vegetables do, but fill you up so there’s less room for the quality stuff.

If you eat meat (read meat, fish, poultry etc), have no more than a palm size portion in each meal, and buy organic wherever possible as the quality of the meat and the fats is much, much better.

3. Get more variety and reward in your day.

Research in genetics, anthropology and evolutionary medicine tells us that it takes 40,000 to 100,000 years for change in our environment to be assimilated by our bodies at DNA level, meaning that our body evolved to thrive as we lived 40,000 years ago at least, as hunter-gatherers. The way we spend our days has changed dramatically since then, but we can learn plenty about what our bodies are built for, or what environments cause them to thrive or fail.

The average hunter-gatherer population spent 15-25 hours per week hunting and gathering. So they got far more variety, balance and down time in their day than we did. We are simply not built to work as much as we do, and it takes its toll on our physical and mental health in more ways than we may realise.

Whilst, for a number of reasons it may not be easy or realistic to reduce your working hours so much straight away, or at all, we can learn so much from what our body is built for and apply the following principles into each day. Some tips include:

Combine work with reward; i.e. 45 minutes on, 15 minutes reward, or 2 hours on, half and hour reward, 3 hours on, 1 hour reward etc.
In your reward time, gut up from your desk and do something different – that you enjoy.
On that note, spend more time each day on activities you enjoy for no reason – your brain and nervous system will love you for it. If the list of things you enjoy has grown small over the years of grinding at work, think back to what you used to enjoy or what you’d like to do more of, and start applying them.
Get more variety in the tasks you do each working day. For example, if you spend long hours at your computer, then schedule in work calls regularly, and get up from your desk if you can and move around or go somewhere else whilst taking the call.
Sit less. Find ways of working in different postures – a standing desk, ergonomic chairs etc. I often lie on the floor and work on my computer when working from home.
Spend more time outside every day.
Take time after work to transition from work to home/social life. The breathing techniques above are great for this.
These adjustments require a significant shift in attitude, but most people who take the leap and start to implement these changes find they get far more done in each day, in less time than they did previously. Plus they don’t experience the burn-out and lack of joy that so many of us do.

I work one on one in clinic and with corporate or sporting groups as a natural medicine practitioner, breath coach, wellbeing coach, and also coaching paddlers ranging from beginners to international level. See https://timaltman.com.au/ and https://www.worldpaddle.com/

I also work with wellbeing and performance online and in person in the corporate sector (see https://www.mindfullife.com.au/?loaded), and now have an online breathing course available via https://timaltman.com.au/ or https://www.lionheartworkshops.com/breathing-dynamics-tim-altman

By Tim Altman 23/09/2020 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Latest News, Mickel Therapy, Naturopathy, Nutrition and Weight Loss, Performance #corona virus, Breathing, Breathing retraining, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic illness, CoVid-19, Detox, Diaphragm Breathing, Fasting, Fatigue, immune system, intermittent fasting, mental health, naturopath melbourne, Naturopath Torquay, Online consultation, Performance, Tim Altman

CoVid-19. We Are Far From The Innocent Victims of a Freak Accident.

We Were Overdue A Visit From a Pandemic!

“Whether currently-circulating avian, swine and other zoonotic (transferred from animal to human) influenza viruses will result in a future pandemic is unknown. However, the diversity of zoonotic influenza viruses that have caused human infections is alarming and necessitates strengthened surveillance in both animal and human populations” World Health Organisation on influenza

The above quote, cited by Vybarr Cregan-Reid in his book, “Primate Change. How the World We Made is Remaking Us” (Octopus Publishing Group 2018) is an alarming warning or foretelling of the present circumstances we find ourselves on a global scale with CoVid-19, given the book was published in 2018, so this quote predates that time.

It sends us sobering message that we are not the innocent victims of some random virus. The virus is a bi-product of the world we have created.

Is nature biting us back?

Below is some further text from this book that really sends this message so strongly:

“Animals are now reared with such intensity that mathematically it is only a matter of time before one of the many mutated flu viruses becomes an epidemic that passes freely to, and between, humans.

Farming animals no doubt provided us with opportunities for survival and growth, but with the intensification of farming practices today which encourage food-borne illnesses and antimicrobial resistance, the scene is set for viruses to mutate, trading genes to become the next super-flu transmissible between humans. There are major flu outbreaks approximately every three decades. We are currently overdue a visit from one.

That is our inheritance. This is what we have done with agriculture; but it is not yet done with us.”

Vybarr Cregan-Reid; “Primate Change. How The World We Made is Remaking Us” Octopus Publishing Group 2018

This would suggest that, not only have we created our current situation, if we do not change our ways, even if we eliminate the current threat from CoVid-19, it is highly likely that similar circumstances will occur again. Perhaps it is time to shift our focus from trying to eliminate the threat of CoVid-19 so we can get back to ‘normal’, to addressing the root cause of this problem.

What has led us to this? Where have we gone wrong?

As a species, we’ve become the so-called ‘top of the animal kingdom’ as a result of having a highly sophisticated intelligence, or thinking brain, and our culture and education system over the last few hundred, or arguably thousand years, has encouraged us to think rationally all the time, and that emotions are unreliable and weak.

However, the down side of this skewed logic is that we are so ‘in our heads’, we have forgotten that we are an animal – we have completely detached from our instinctive, intuitive emotional brain that is as much a part of us, and how we process information as our thinking, or rational brain.

To ignore this intelligence leads us to disconnect from our bodies, our feelings, instincts, and the planet ecosystem that nurtures us. It creates huge imbalance internally, both for our nervous system, and our body in general, leaving us in permanent low to mid-level ‘fight or flight’ mode (some more than low to mid-level), and creates discord in the external environment with which we interact.

Or basic needs as an animal are for happiness, safety and comfort. These are real biological, evolutionary needs, and cannot be ignored.

Our primary motivation as hunter gatherers may have been to create a more comfortable and secure existence, but the advent of the concept of economics (it might seem shocking to some that our economic system is not necessarily real – it is a concept), has seen us go way beyond having enough to be happy, safe and comfortable, and we have become increasingly disconnected from who we are as a species, and from the planet and ecosystem that sustains us.

Our religious adherence to this concept, or economic model has blinded us to what it is that sustains us, and allows us to thrive in the first place. A predominance in importance is placed on profitability, productivity and success over sustainability, yet these ‘concepts’ lead us invariably to sacrifice our basic needs for happiness, safety and comfort. And that is where the imbalance, both internally and environmentally begin.

I hear so many people complain that the lock downs we have faced, or are still facing, are destroying our economy, which are valid concerns for our present and future happiness, safety and comfort, but it is time we see that our ‘slavery’ to profitability, and ‘success’ has been the ‘root cause’ of the current problem, and what is also currently threatening our economic viability.

In other words, we are being given possibly the strongest reminder in history, that our economic model of existence is clearly not sustainable – both physically and economically. We will continue to pay for our short sightedness if we don’t start looking beyond our current concepts and way of living.

Is it possible that this time in history marks the moment that the mess we have created has tipped us, and the planet over the edge and either goes one way or another – we continue to face similar environmental and lifestyle challenges that ultimately bring down our economic system on its’ own, or we wake up and learn the lessons from our past, and we listen to the messages our planet is sending?

Whilst the agricultural, industrial and technological revolutions were an outstanding success from an economic perspective, and one might say an inevitable outcome of evolution (of intelligence as well physical evolution), it was an absolute disaster for our bodies, and the environments in which we live.

Research in the fields of genetics and anthropology has found that it takes 40,000 to 100,000 years for change in our environment to be fully assimilated by our bodies – at DNA level.

What that means, is that the bodies we now inhabit, still think we are wandering the land as hunter gatherers some 40,000 years ago, and the environment we lived in, and lifestyle we lived as hunter gatherers is that which makes us thrive.

Yet we now live completely differently from how we evolved to live – or how we evolved to thrive.

The changes impact us across all levels, from how we eat and drink, move and stabilise, sleep, breathe, the hours we work and type of work we perform, our exposure to radiation and new to nature chemicals, and how we process information and stress (the combination of how we think and emote).

The present circumstances have seen a huge increase in hostility, and confusion as to what is truth, and what is imaginary. There are so many conspiracy theories, and so many polarised opinions, and hostility throughout the community – perpetuated increasingly by mainstream and social media. It is growing extremely difficult nowadays to know who to trust anymore.

No matter what you believe; be it the information we are being given by mainstream media, or the myriad of conspiracy theories out there, the solution is unquestionably the same for us as individuals. That is, to raise your own frequency or increase your resilience by improving your health, simplifying your life, increasing connection to yourself, your family and friends, and to the immediate environment in which you live. That is all you can do. No point getting angry. Just nurture what nurtures you deep inside.

Whilst we cannot go back to living as hunter gatherers, as our planet would not sustain so many people living this way, plus there were also downsides to this lifestyle that threatened our basic safety on a day to day basis that we have overcome for the better, but we could do very well to understand how we lived then, and the environment in which our current bodies adapted to thrive in, and compare it to nowadays.

Nor am I suggesting we all become vegans as, whilst there are both arguments for this approach both physically and especially ethically, there are considerable questions as to the efficacy of this approach for long tem well-being.

Going to the opposite extreme will create its’ own problems given the world we’ve already set up.

It is an opportunity to shift the balance far more significantly from profitability to sustainability.

I do not have the whole solution, as I believe it is something we are going to need explore as a collective as it unfolds, however it is very clear to me that the current circumstances we are facing is are very strong warning from the planet that it is time we shifted our perspective and approach to living, or we will pay more and more dearly down the track.

Not just gradual change. It is a significant shift in our attitude that is required. Our priority must be to raise our frequency and connect more intimately with or bodies and ourselves, as well as the humans, animals and the environment around us.

Here are a few suggestions:

A massive focus on sustainability over profitability.
Reducing our working hours by at least 20% – research has suggested our hunter gatherer ancestors worked 15-25 hours per week hunting and gathering. The rest was spent with a combination of leisure, ritual, sleep, doing nothing (a lost art in our culture), social etc.
Following from the above point, creating more time in our days for family and social time, and also activities that allow us to experience joy. We are not built to smash ourselves with just working, eating and sleeping. It comes at a cost to our physical and mental health. We need more variety, and joy.
Spend more time outdoors – especially if you live in cities or towns.
Get more down time – time to self and those close to you.
Breathe gently in and out through your nose, using your diaphragm – most fail at this far more often than they realise, and it significantly impacts their well-being and performance.
Meditate – meditation is medicine; both physically and mentally.
Try to be present more often – check in regularly and be present with, and aware of what you’re doing at the time, nothing else.
Be open to feeling your feelings, and to communicating them – it’s ok to be vulnerable. It can be scary initially, but it’s ok.
Eat fresh food over packaged, and processed food – grow your own as much as you can.
Buy organic food (especially meat).
Eat more fruit and vegetables – lots more.
Fast occasionally to give your body a rest.
Sit less, walk more.
Reduce radiation exposure via wi-fi, phones, screens, artificial lighting etc.
Exercise daily, and enjoy your exercise. Don’t smash yourself all of the time (or at all) – vary it around.

www.timaltman.com.au – for in person, online consultation, group courses, or my online ‘Breathing Dynamics’ course. www.mindfullife.com.au – for corporate training both in person or online.

By Tim Altman 21/05/2019 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Performance, Sleep Enhancement Asthma, Breathing, Breathing coach melbourne, Breathing coach Torquay, Breathing for Performance, Breathing For Relaxation, Breathing For Sport, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic illness, Diaphragm Breathing, Fatigue, fibromyalgia, IBS, immune system, Melbourne, mental health, mouth breathing, naturopath melbourne, Naturopath Torquay, Nose breathing, Online consultation, Performance, snoring, Tim Altman, torquay

5 Ways Mouth Breathing Can Cause Fatigue

The Mouth is For Eating, Drinking, Talking, Singing, Kissing, but Only For Breathing in Emergencies – Not All of the Time!!

Based on how the anatomy and physiology of our respiratory system is set up, and the biochemical principles that describe how oxygen in the air we inhale in our lungs, most efficiently arrives at the individual cells in our body (via the bloodstream) for energy production (described in intimate detail by ‘The Bohr Effect’, for which Danish biochemist Christian Bohr won a Nobel Prize in 1903), it is beyond question that the nose is specifically designed for breathing. Not the mouth.

Yet, most of us do not realise or understand how important this is. We take our breathing for granted thinking it is fine, yet the vast majority of us over-breathe using our mouth as well as our nose, breathing twice as often as we should (based on medical diagnostic norms) and with far too much volume.

The mouth is for eating, drinking, talking, drinking, kissing, but is only useful for breathing in emergencies. But not breathing.

Your breathing is as, or more important than nutrition for your health and performance, so there are consequences to mouth breathing:

Too much volume of air leads to too little energy – mouth breathing allows up to six times the volume of air to enter our lungs and respiratory system, which seriously upsets the delicate biochemical balance that governs how efficiently we get oxygen to our cells for energy production (mentioned above). If you breathe with your mouth open or with parted lips, you will produce energy far less efficiently and therefore get tired more quickly.
It kicks you into fight or flight mode – when you breathe with your mouth it puts you straight into emergency mode. For example, when someone gives you a fright, you take a big gasp which involves a big mouth breath using the chest and shoulders. This puts you straight into ‘fight or flight’ mode, but is only useful in short bursts. As such, mouth breathing a lot will wear you out. A lot.
You by-pass an incredible air-conditioning process – for respiration to work efficiently, the air reaching the lungs needs to be filtered, disinfected, humidified and heated or cooled. Breathing through the nose does exactly this. The nasal hairs filter the air, the mucus in the nose and sinuses disinfect, humidify and heat or cool the inhaled air. If we by-pass this incredible air conditioning system by mouth breathing we make the lungs work harder, expose ourselves to higher risk of respiratory tract infection, minimise oxygen uptake in our lungs, and reduce energy production.
Much less nitric oxide – nose breathing leads to 50% higher production of nitric oxide than mouth breathing. Nitric oxide acts as a neurotransmitter, immunoregulator and vasodilator, particularly in the gut and lungs. Some of its’ actions include: regulating blood pressure, boosting the immune system, fighting bacteria and viruses, fighting cancer, increasing blood flow to cells, in muscular control and balance, and protecting against cardiovascular disease, impotence, diabetic retinopathy, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Over breathing – nose breathing contributes to over-breathing, or breathing too often as well as with too much volume. The body’s reaction to counter this is either apnoea episodes or constriction and spasm of the smooth muscle surrounding our breathing tubes (this reaction is typical of symptoms seen in asthma and breathing difficulties). Unfortunately this can create a flow on affect and affect other systems in our body serviced by tubes contributing directly to, or predisposing us to a number of ailments: fatigue, asthma and breathing difficulties, snoring and apnoea, headaches and migraines, anxiety, IBS, reflux and other digestive complaints, chronic pain and many more.

Put simply, mouth breathing is far less efficient, and it will make you more tired – and sick. Don’t do it unless it’s an emergency.

Contact me via email tim@timaltman.com.au or phone 0425 739 918 to have your breathing efficiency assessed or to learn how to breath more efficiently to eliminate illness, enhance performance or increase relaxation and wellness.

By Tim Altman 27/08/2018 Evolutionary Medicine, Fasting, Naturopathy, Nutrition and Weight Loss, Performance, Sleep Enhancement, Testimonials Barwon Heads Naturopath, Bowel health, cfs, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic illness, Clean, Detox, Fasting, fibromyalgia, IBS, immune system, intermittent fasting, juice fast, Melbourne, mental health, Natuopath, naturopath melbourne, Naturopath Torquay, nutrition, Online consultation, Performance, sauna therapy, Tim Altman

5 Day Juice Fast: A Super Thorough Case Study

Article: “My Guided 5 Days of Fasting / Juice Cleanse (What Really Happened)”, by Cam Nicholls of www.bikechaser.com.au

Linked below is an article written by a client who embarked on a 5 day fast with me supervising him, as an experiment to improve his immune system and performance in criterium cycling races.

I won’t say too much here as the article, videos and podcasts say it all. He has certainly been thorough in his application, and documentation of the process. It was a pleasure working with him, and despite his difficulty in giving up coffee and his impatience to recommence, we are both glad he didn’t as it gave him an opportunity to experience some of the benefits of fasting, and therefore experience the level of health, energy and clarity that is inherent in us all – if we give our bodies a chance to show it 🙂

The benefits included:

Improved and sustained energy levels.
Great sleep.
His sinuses are the clearest they’ve ever been.
Dramatically improved concentration and mental aptitude.

Whilst it’s super thorough, if you’re interested in fasting or considering doing a fast/cleanse, I highly recommend you have a read, listen, watch as he covers just about everything you’ll need to know. Obviously, if this motivates you to act, then i can help you. I offer supervised fasts in my clinic addresses in Torquay, Sth Melbourne and Barwon Heads, or online.

My Guided 5 Days of Fasting / Juice Cleanse (What Really Happened)

By Tim Altman 13/08/2018 Fasting, Latest News, Naturopathy, Nutrition and Weight Loss, Performance, Sleep Enhancement Barwon Heads Naturopath, blood sugar, Bowel health, cfs, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic illness, Detox, Fasting, Fatigue, fibromyalgia, IBS, immune system, intermittent fasting, juice fast, Melbourne, naturopath melbourne, Naturopath Torquay, Online consultation, weight loss

Video: 5 Day Fast Results Explained (Side Effects & Benefits).

Here’s the video created by Cam Nicholl’s the day after he finished his 5 day fast.

We discuss his experience, the results (including the Bio-Impedance test comparison between now and before he started), why he has to wait before he can have his first coffee, and the importance of his re-introduction to food program…

By Tim Altman 24/07/2018 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Fasting, Mickel Therapy, Naturopathy, Nutrition and Weight Loss, Performance Barwon Heads Naturopath, Bowel health, Breathing, Breathing retraining, cfs, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic illness, Detox, Diaphragm Breathing, Digestive health, Fasting, Fatigue, fibromyalgia, Gut Microbiome, IBS, immune system, intermittent fasting, juice fast, Melbourne, mental health, mental illness, Natuopath, naturopath melbourne, Naturopath Torquay, nutrition, Online consultation, Tim Altman

Video: There’s Far More to Healing The Gut Than Correcting The Microbiome.

There’s Far More To Treating IBS, Reflux & Other Digestive Issues Than Correcting The Gut Microbiome

The gut has been topical of late – with terms such as ‘gut microbiome’, the ‘third brain’ etc. becoming very popular. It has certainly become evident that gut function plays a huge role in both our physical and mental health, and we have seen an increase in digestive issues such as reflux, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s Disease, Coeliac’s Disease etc. etc.

In treating such conditions, and indeed in exploring optimal health and well-being, we need to focus on correcting and optimising the internal environment of our digestive system. Treatments have included stool analyses, detox diets, eliminative diets such as FODMAP, paleo and gluten free programs, antibiotic treatments, prebiotic and probiotic treatments, digestive enzyme therapy etc. have become extremely useful strategies. However, very often these treatments struggle to yield significant or complete resolutions.

Given this, it is worth considering that there are other influences on digestive or gut function, other than what goes on inside the digestive system, and that ignoring these can lead to less than complete resolutions. 2 other influences that have a significant impact on gut function, and must be attended to in order to treat the gut more completely, include:

1. Our breathing via the smooth muscle that surrounds the digestive tract – the average person over-breathes, meaning they breathe twice as often as they should, and with far too much volume (because they use mouth and nose rather than nose only). This upsets the delicate biochemical balance in our respiratory system that governs how we get oxygen from the air we inhale into our cells for energy production (the mechanism of which is known as ‘The Bohr Effect’). One of the compensations that result from the upset in the respiratory system by over-breathing is for the body to constrict the smooth muscle around our breathing tubes – and we experience symptoms of breathing difficulties and asthma as a result. Yet, the rest of the tubes that service our body are also surrounded by smooth muscle and over-breathing can lead to constriction and spasm in our digestive system, which is in itself a large tube, forcing it into lock down and preventing the peristaltic action of the digestive system to work effectively, leading to digestive symptoms. This is particularly highlighted by the fact that a vast majority of digestive symptoms and ailments are exacerbated by stress, are often see associated anxiety along with them (especially IBS or reflux). When we are stressed or anxious we over-breathe or hyperventilate even more, which can really exacerbate this constriction and spasm in the digestive system.

2. How we process stress – which is regulated via our hypothalamus. Our hypothalamus, in the brain stem, regulates the automatic bodily functions (including the gut, breathing, circulation etc.), endocrine function (glands and hormones), immune function, sleep cycle, neurotransmitters, some cognitive function etc. It’s job is homeostasis, and it really is the general in regulating our body and keeping it ‘purring’ along. But a hypothalamus that is ‘angry’ or ‘overdrive’ because it is working too hard as we live in constant low level fight or flight in this modern world, can then dys-regulate the function of many o all of our automatic functions – including digestion and the gut. How we process stress in the brain is governed by the healthy working relationship between our two intelligence systems: our thinking, or rational brain, whose job it is to allow us to interface with the world we live in by analysing and interpreting information, data processing, solving problems (the world of thoughts and rational – including our story of our past, and future); and the pre-thinking, instinctive emotional brain whose role is to keep us safe, happy and comfortable by constantly scanning the environment around us (in the now) and warning us of any threat, or stress, via emotions, which serve as a call to action to deal with the threat. If these two work together we attend to emotions as they arise, our thinking brain interpreting the call to action and activating action, then we process stress effectively and we go back to being happy, safe and comfortable. However, we have created a big mismatch between the bodies we have inherited (from our hunter gatherer ancestors) and the high tech, high paced world we have created, and we are taught to ignore emotions and discomfort (therefore the call to action to deal with stress) – be tough, don’t be so sensitive/emotional/irrational, don’t be a girl/sissy, push though, tough it out, don’t show weakness etc. As such we have become top of the animal kingdom, but have forgotten how to be an animal, so we internalise stress rather that dealing with it effectively. This sends us into permanent low-level ‘fight or flight’ activation, leading to symptoms.

We must attend to more than just the inside of the gut to treat it effectively!!

By Tim Altman 23/07/2018 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Naturopathy, Performance, Sleep Enhancement Asthma, Breathing, Breathing for Performance, Breathing retraining, chronic illness, Diaphragm Breathing, Melbourne, Natuopath, naturopath melbourne, Naturopath Torquay, Nose breathing, Online consultation, Peak Flow, Performance, snoring, torquay

Video: Breathing Retraining Provides a Fantastic Natural Solution for Resolving Asthma and Breathing Difficulties

Tim Altman. breathing coach and naturopath (www.timaltman.com.au) discusses some fantastic and simple to learn, natural solutions to asthma, that more often than not, will help you wean off your asthma medication for good.

Most people accept that the medical treatment of asthma using pharmaceutical drugs, such as preventers, relievers and the modern combination medicines of these two, is the only effective way to manage asthma long term.
This is not true.

Research has started to suggest that what is often diagnosed by GP’s as asthma is more likely breathing difficulty (in about 80% of cases). As such, the main pathology in most asthma is to do with dysfunctional breathing.
This is not surprrising given the average person breathes nowhere near what is considered functional, according to medical diagnostic norms. We breathe twice as often as we should, and with far too much volume (meaning that we over breathe), using our mouth and chest/shoulders to breathe, rather than mostly our nose and diaphragm. In fact, when not exercising we should use our nose and diaphragm only.

This over breathing upsets the delicate biochemical balance in our respiratory system that dictates how much oxygen we get from the air we inhale into our lungs to the cells of our body for energy production (the mechanics of which are described by the ‘Bohr Effect’). If we breathe too much, we fail to produce energy efficiently, and the body perceives this as a threat to survival, so it creates constriction and spasm of the tubes that service our lungs and respiratory system to prevent the excessive loss of air; which are the symptoms we see as asthma and breathing difficulty.
As such, whilst we must also address immune hypersensitivity in some cases, the treatment priority needs to be correcting breathing function – eliminating over breathing by retraining the breathing to functional levels, breathing more slowly and with less volume. This will naturally dilate the whole respiratory system and prevent, or make it far less likely that asthma and breathing difficulties will occur at all.

We use biofeedback technology (Capnometry) to assess a person’s breathing, and retrain them using specifically created breathing rhythms that retrain your breathing from the level you are at.
There are other breathing techniques that we can also to facilitate or speed up this process also. For example, we know that a 45 second breath hold will produce roughly the equivalent vasodilation in your lungs as a puff of Ventolin.

I have found that using breathing retaining to treat and prevent asthma to be a simple and easy to learn solution that will give most clients a permanent solution to their asthma and breathing difficulties with a couple of months. It takes practice and some persistence, but it provides a long term solution, that avoids the expense and negative side effects of long term use of medications. The only side effect of breathing retraining, other than being free of symptoms of asthma and breathing difficulties, are that you will feel more relaxed, and have more energy!!

Contact me at tim@timaltman.com.au or 0425 739 918 to make an appointment.
I offer clinical sessions online, or n person in Torquay, Barwon Heads at 13th Beach Health Services – www.13thbeachhealthservices.com.au) and Melbourne.

By Tim Altman 07/07/2018 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Latest News, Mickel Therapy, Naturopathy, Nutrition and Weight Loss, Performance, Sleep Enhancement Barwon Heads Naturopath, Bowel health, Breathing, cfs, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic illness, Fatigue, fibromyalgia, IBS, immune system, Melbourne, mental health, mental illness, mickel therapy, Natuopath, naturopath melbourne, Naturopath Torquay, Online consultation, Performance, Tim Altman

Research Suggests the Average Working Week Creates Too Much Stress and Fatigue, and Reduces Productivity.

People Over 40 Should Only Work Three Days a Week, Study Concludes

The linked article below from the University of Melbourne echoes what I have noticed so often in clinic when working with clients suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, post viral syndrome, adrenal fatigue, anxiety, IBS, depression and auto-immune illnesses.

When looking at what we’ve learned from neuroscience and neuropsychology about how our brains process information, especially stress, in combination with what we’ve leaned from genetic and anthropological research on how we’re built to live (our body’s still think we live as we did as hunter gatherers), we know that our essential biological needs as an animal are for food and water, shelter, safety and love – or happiness, safety and comfort.

It’s also been determined from investigations of existing hunter-gatherer cultures, and what we can tell from previous ones, that the overage hunter gatherer cultures worked between 15-20 hour per week. Yet, the modern day human works, on average, at least double this in the name of economics, which is a concept. In other words, it’s not real according to the body’s we have inherited.

This essentially means that the average worker sacrifices a sense of our basic biological needs, including work-life balance, happiness, variety, and fulfillment in the name of a concept. Similarly, in pursuit of material or fiscal success, another concept that is learned, and therefore not real, we so often sacrifice our basic need for fulfillment, variety and leisure – and therefore happiness.

This ultimately leads to us being permanently in over-dive or constant, unrelenting low-level stress, which in turn leads to symptoms of illness that we see in the above ailments, and in the general symptoms most people seem to accept as part of life in the modern world:

Fatigue
Pain
Gut or digestive symptoms
Difficult sleeping
Lack of joy
Anxiety/depression
Brain fog
And many more.

Yet, as per the quote below from the linked article suggests, and many more studies appearing are stating to suggest, fitting with what we have learned about how our hunter gatherer bodies are built to live, our productivity, presence at work, work-life balance, sense of fulfillment and happiness all improve when we work a little less.

“After factoring in people’s quality of life, economic well-being, family structures and employment, economic researchers found that individuals who worked an average of 25 hours per week tended to perform the best. In fact, overall cognitive performance would rise until people hit the 25-hour mark, at which point cognitive test scores began dropping because of fatigue and stress.”

Hopefully one day the economic system will focus more on quality of work, and worker satisfaction, than being focused mainly on dollars and quantity of time spent working (at the expense of workers).

Nevertheless, there is still plenty we can do to reduce stress and create more balance in our current working life by understanding what our bodies are built for. More focus on work-reward ratio, work-life balance, variety at work, and a greater focus on worker well being all make a significant improvement in client’s symptoms.

In clinic when working with a client, it’s just a matter of strategy, and then trial and error, using the client’s bodily results (in terms of symptoms and emotions) to determine the effectiveness of changes made. It takes practice, and perseverance, but it works a treat. And allows the body to heal itself, which saves a fortune on medications, and supplements.St

If you would like to find more work-life balance, experience less stress, fatigue, pain, gut symptoms, sleep more soundly, or just experience more joy and happiness, then contact me at tim@timaltman.com.au or phone 0425 739 918. Working in this way with clients has yielded far more potent results than any approach I’ve seen; and it’s made a huge difference to how I, and many of my clients live – for the better.

https://theheartysoul.com/three-day-workweek/?utm_source=WUW&utm_content=72439-M78A

By Tim Altman 28/06/2018 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Fasting, Latest News, Mickel Therapy, Naturopathy, Nutrition and Weight Loss, Performance, Sleep Enhancement Barwon Heads Naturopath, Bowel health, Breathing, Breathing for Performance, Breathing retraining, cfs, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic illness, Detox, Diaphragm Breathing, Fasting, Fatigue, fibromyalgia, IBS, immune system, intermittent fasting, Melbourne, mental health, mental illness, mickel therapy, Natuopath, naturopath melbourne, Naturopath Torquay, Nose breathing, Online consultation, Performance, Tim Altman, torquay

Tim Altman Talks Men’s Health @ Surfcoast Wholefoods, Torquay

Free Talk on Men’s Health Issues @ Surfcoast Wholefoods, Torquay

“Men’s Health Issues”

Free Talk by Tim Altman www.timaltman.com.au

Surfcoast Wholefoods, Monday 9^th of July @ 7.30pm – Bookings not necessary. tim@timaltman.com.au or call 0425 739 918.

Over 20 years of practice these are the main complaints I hear from men, but most suffer in silence.

Fatigue, Burn Out or Lack of Joy
Stress, Anxiety or are ‘in your head’ a lot
Impatience, Irritability or Chronic Pain
Difficulty Sleeping or Poor Sleep
Breathing and/or Digestive Issues

Using an evolutionary medicine approach based on genetic, anthropological and neuroscience research, I outline simple and easy to implement solutions to this chronic issue by addressing not only nutrition, breathing and exercise, but also how we rest and rejuvenate, process stress, communicate, and find work/life balance.

By Tim Altman 20/06/2018 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Mickel Therapy, Testimonials Breathing, Breathing for Performance, Breathing retraining, cfs, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic illness, Diaphragm Breathing, Fatigue, fibromyalgia, Melbourne, mickel therapy, Naturopath Torquay, Nose breathing, Online consultation

Another CFS Recovery using Mickel Therapy and Breathing Dynamics

Testimonial: CFS Recovery using Breathing Dynamics and Mickel Therapy

Below is testimonial from a lovely client who recovered fully from CFS after 25 years of suffering from it. She was an online client and we used a combination of techniques including Breathing Dynamics, Mickel Therapy, Nutrition and Naturopathy.

“Earlier this year, I completed a course in Mickel Therapy with Tim Altman. I found this technique extremely helpful in my journey to wellness after 25 years with chronic fatigue. With Tim’s guidance, I found the programme easy to follow and was able to achieve improvement after just one session. This improvement has continued over time. I appreciate Tim for his depth of knowledge, empathy and honesty and would be happy to recommend him to others suffering chronic illness.” Andra Moores, Brisbane

Contact me at tim@timaltman.com.au or 0425 739 918 if you would like help recovering from CFS, ME, adrenal fatigue, fibromyalgia, post viral fatigue, IBS, anxiety, depression or autoimmune ailments.

By Tim Altman 18/06/2018 Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Mickel Therapy, Naturopathy, Performance cfs, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic illness, Fatigue, fibromyalgia, IBS, immune system, mental health, mental illness, mickel therapy, Natuopath, naturopath melbourne, Naturopath Torquay, Online consultation, Performance, Tim Altman, torquay

Video: Tim Altman Mickel Therapist

The Mickel approach is far from therapy in the commonly known sense. It is an action based technique derived from neuroscience research that teaches people to take their body out of pemanent, internal overdrive (or fight or flight mode) to achieve extraordinary health and performance results – especially with chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue and pain, post viral fatigue, CFS, fibromyalgia, adrenal fatigue, IBS, anxiety, depression, auto-immune conditions, and more, as it addresses the ‘root cause’ of illness higher in the body – specifically, in our hypothalamus and brain. It is also fantastic for eliminating blocks to performance in all fields.

I discuss how the hypothalamus, whose job is homeostasis, or maintaining balance in all automatic functions, ends up in most people, and especially in those with chronic illness, in chronic overdrive. Or, as what is often described as, in permanent ‘fight or flight’ mode of varying degrees. The hypothalamus goes into overdrive because of a breakdown in communication or cooperation (internally) between the two intelligence systems in our bodies – the thinking or rational brain (head mind) and the instinctive, pre-thought emotional brain (body mind) that uses emotions as a call to action to our bodies to deal with any stress or threat to our safety, comfort or happiness.

The unprocessed, or effectively dealt with emotions, become internalised, sending our hypothalamus into overdrive, eventually resulting in symptoms of illness, and syndromes. As such, fatigue and symptoms of illness are described as resulting from suppressed energy, or stuck energy, rather than lack of energy. If it were merely a case of lack of energy, then rest and sleep would fix chronic fatigue – in most cases, we know this is not the case.

This occurs as a result of a severe mismatch between the body we have inherited (from our hunter gatherer ancestors) and the world we have created. Our bodies do what they are adapted for, in a world we have not yet adapted to. This makes us chronically sick, or under-performing, which we then pass on to our children etc. In the modern world, we humans have become supposedly top of the animal kingdom by having highly sophisticated rational, or thinking brain, but we have forgotten how to be an animal – to tune into the messages our body sends us about stress, and threats to our happiness, safety and comfort.

The Mickel approach is an action based technique that uses a potent set of tools to reverse this suppression of emotional communication, or energy, by targeting the day to day patterns, lifestyle, and behaviours that send us into overdrive or ‘fight or flight’ in the first place. I have witnessed many complete recoveries in chronically ill clients who had been ill for many years, and had pretty much tried everything else. It has been very humbling to witness.

And has dramatically changed how I approach my own lifestyle, relationships and how I treat clients. It is also fantastic for performance and optimal living – as well as relationships. Go to www.timaltman.com.au for more information – including some videos by Dr Mickel himself.

By Tim Altman 13/04/2018 Chronic Illness, Fasting, Naturopathy, Nutrition and Weight Loss blood sugar, Blood sugar regulation, Bowel health, Capnometry, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic illness, Detox, Fasting, Fat Loss, Fatigue, Healthy Weight Loss, immune system, intermittent fasting, juice fast, More energy, naturopath melbourne, Naturopath Torquay, Online consultation, Performance, Reducing Type II Diabetes, weight loss

Research Suggests Eggs For Breakfast Are Great For Preventing Metabolic Disease

Research Suggests Eggs For Are Breakfast Great For Preventing Metabolic Disease.

EGG-CITING NEWS FOR METABOLIC DISEASE!

Scrambled, poached or sunny side up, eating eggs flips refined grains off the plate according to a recent randomised, controlled trial. Thirty-four type 2 diabetics were recommended to either consume two eggs daily or to avoid eggs for 12 weeks, while tracking daily dietary habits. Eating

eggs was found to reduce consumption of (higher glycaemic) refined grains and improve overall protein intake – a delicious way for patients to bolster nutrition, support healthy blood glucose levels and reap metabolic rewards.

Zanini B, et al. Impact of gluten-free diet on cardiovascular risk factors. A retrospective analysis in a large cohort of coeliac patients. Dig Liver Dis. 2013;45:810-815. doi:10.1016/j.dld.2013.04.001.

This comes as no surprise. I have worked closely with client’s nutrition in clinic for close to 20 years and have that those who eat a hearty, protein based breakfast each day find it much easier to regulate their blood sugar levels throughout the day. The implications of being able to regulate blood sugar levels throughout the day include:

Less hunger throughout the day – including mid-late afternoon munchies.
Less cravings for sweet or savoury throughout the day – including those mid-late afternoon or post dinner.
More consistent energy levels throughout the day – and less or no slump mid-late afternoon.
Better mental clarity and moods ” ” ” ” ” ” ” ” “
Consumption of less refined carbohydrates and sugar.
Feeling fuller, for longer.
Weight, or more specifically, fat loss – and consistently.
Reduction of Type II diabetes symptoms.
Often reduction in the amount of insulin required by Type I diabetics.
Amongst other things.

And eggs are the easiest, and most simple to prepare way of having a hearty, protein based breakfast – or any other meal. But add vegetables, nuts and seeds of fresh fruit seasonal to your climate for carbohydrates, before, or rather than going crazy on the toast.

If you’d like to lose weight, regulate your blood sugar levels, or optimise your nutrition for health, treating illness or performance, then contact me at tim@timaltman.com.au or call 0425 739 918 to book an appointment.

By Tim Altman 19/03/2018 Chronic Illness, Mickel Therapy, Naturopathy, Sleep Enhancement 12 Steps To Self Care, Bowel health, cfs, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic illness, Diaphragm Breathing, Fatigue, fibromyalgia, IBS, immune system, mental health, mickel therapy, naturopath melbourne, Naturopath Torquay, Online consultation, torquay

12 Steps To Self Care

Self Care is a huge part of what we teach clients through Mickel Therapy, as prolonged periods of putting everyone else first can lead to ill health.

We constantly see clients with illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, IBS, anxiety, depression, and auto-immune illnesses make huge improvements in the severity of their symptoms, very often complete resolution, by learning to make their needs as, or more significant as those of others.

If you would like some help to start treating yourself as you deserve, and repair your health, contact me at tim@timaltman.com.au.

12 Steps To Self Care

Posted by Power of Positivity on Sunday, 4 June 2017

By Tim Altman 11/03/2018 Breathing Dynamics, Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Sleep Enhancement, Testimonials Bowel health, chronic illness, Diaphragm Breathing, naturopath melbourne, Naturopath Torquay, Nose breathing, Online consultation, sleep apnoea, snoring

Breathing Retraining Can Help Sleep Apnoea Quicker Than You Think

Correct Breathing: A Natural Cost Effective Solution For Sleep Apnoea and Snoring

Below is a text that came from a sleep apnoea client the day after our first session – I’ve modified a name and omitted the client’s full name for privacy purposes.

“Last night had 2hrs more sleep and haven’t needed a sleep so far today. Enjoyed a session with #$% and run up the stairs ! Wow!……..When I woke just breathed properly and off to sleep I went!! Many thanks Tim.” Jan, Torquay

We don’t always see such a quick response, and this client still has a long way to go in terms of making permanent change as, whilst correcting a person’s breathing can definitely yield fantastic results very quickly, it does take consistent practice over several weeks to make those results permanent.

This is not a surprise given the fundamental pathology in sleep apnoea is caused by the consequences of dysfunctional breathing whilst sleeping – especially mouth breathing. See the inserted link for more information on the role of breathing retraining in sleep apnoea and as a solution for snoring and sleep apnoea. https://timaltman.com.au/breathing-dynamics-solutions-snoring-sleep-apnoea/

This client may also require a few other interventions if an obstruction in the airway is evident. These include dentistry and orofacial myology (if the jaw position is leading to an obstruction), weight loss (as excessive weight can obstruct the airways) and other body work (physiotherapy, chiropractic, osteopathy). Time will tell. However, the combination of breathing retraining with these interventions very frequently yields fantastic results that can prevent a sufferer of sleep apnoea from a life time of dependency on an obtrusive, and expensive CPAP machine. Or a lifetime of fatigue, and many other side effects of sleep apnoea (see link above).

Nevertheless, this is a great start. And a great living example of the effectiveness of breathing retraining in treating sleep apnoea.

If you or someone you know suffer from sleep apnoea and would like to source a natural, cost effective and easy to learn solution, then contact me at tim@timaltman.com.au or call 0425 739 918.

By Tim Altman 09/03/2018 Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Fasting, Naturopathy, Nutrition and Weight Loss, Performance blood sugar, Bowel health, chronic illness, Clean, Detox, diet, Fasting, Fatigue, immune system, intermittent fasting, ketogenic diet, Melbourne, Naturopath Torquay, Online consultation, Paleo Diet, Performance

Vietnamese Salad – Ideal for Paleo or Ketogenic Diets, Weight Loss and Intermittent Fasting Programs

Vietnamese Salad Recipe

Even though I’m a nutritionist, I’m not much of a foodie, or a chef, so I love simple meals that are easy to prepare, and easy to digest.

This Vietnamese salad is a ripper, and is really tasty.

With no grain or dairy, and an option of removing the sugar, it is ideal for ketogenic diets, intermittent fasting programs, paleo diets, and weight loss diets or elimination/detox programs.

The recipe is as follows (courtesy of taste.com.au):

INGREDIENTS

3 (600g) chicken breast fillets – in this case I used lamb.
1/2 large wombok (Chinese cabbage), finely shredded
2 carrots, peeled, cut into matchsticks
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup fresh coriander leaves
1 quantity Vietnamese dressing
1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts, chopped

VIETNAMESE DRESSING

1/3 cup lime juice
1/3 cup fish sauce
4 small red chillies, deseeded, finely chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar – I removed this and replaced it with some stevia to make it lower in sugar or calories, so truer to a Paleo meal or detox recipe, or in line with the guidelines to keep one in ketosis on a ketogenic diet. It still tasted yum!!

METHOD

Step 1

Make dressing: Whisk lime juice, fish sauce, chilli (and sugar – optional) together in a jug until sugar has dissolved.
Step 2

Place chicken in a large saucepan. Cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover. Simmer, turning once, for 10 to 12 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from pan. Cool. Shred.
Step 3

Place cabbage, carrot, mint, coriander and chicken in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing. Toss to combine. Sprinkle with peanuts. Serve.

By Tim Altman 04/03/2018 Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Mickel Therapy, Naturopathy, Sleep Enhancement cfs, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic illness, Fatigue, fibromyalgia, IBS, Melbourne, mental health, mickel therapy, naturopath melbourne, Naturopath Torquay, Online consultation, Tim Altman

Article: Fibromyalgia is Linked to Childhood Stress and Unprocessed Negative Emotions

Linked below is a great article by Wyatt Redd from Medical Health News, outlining studies linking unprocessed negative emotions from childhood to fibromyalgia.

This is extremely similar to the way we approach fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), adrenal fatigue, IBS, anxiey/depression, and many other chronic ailments using Mickel Therapy – https://timaltman.com.au/services/mickel-therapy/.

This approach sees chronic symptoms as a result of long term suppressed or unprocessed stress or negative emotions, which send the hypothalamus in the brain stem into continuous overdrive, which then dysregulates, or sends into overdrive all of the automatic functions in our body (including digestion, immune system, liver, adrenals, breathing, the endocrine system, sleep cycles, many brain functions, neurotransmitters etc.) , ultimately resulting in chronic symptoms – almost like the body is running a permanent, internal biological marathon.

The process uses a unique technique that charts our responses to stress, our day to day negative emotions and symptoms in order to determine the nature, or theme, of the original unprocessed negative emotions – which are seen as the ‘root cause’ of the ultimate physical ailment.

Targeting specific ‘ideal’ actions to reverse this emotional suppression will then take the person’s hypothalamus out of overdrive and the body will correct, or heal itself. It often sounds too simple, or too good to be true (as I found in my first case – https://timaltman.com.au/mickel-therapy-case-study-fibomyalgia/ OR https://timaltman.com.au/testimonial-post-viral-chronic-fatigue-and-fibromyalgia/ ), however the results are the most frequent, and complete results I have seen, or heard of for these ailments. I understand now that this is because the Mickel approach gets to, and rectifies the ‘root cause’ of the ailments.

It is very humbling to watch this process of recovery in clients – especially the joy they feel once they are free of ailments they had felt so helplessly trapped in.

I’ve included some quotes from the article that particularly resonated.

“When compared to healthy women, those who avoid strong negative emotions like anger and let it fester unprocessed are more likely to suffer fibromyalgia. In addition focusing on positive emotions does not appear to be a sufficient buffer. According to a report in the 2008 Journal of Psychosomatic Research, it is the lack of processing of negative emotions that precipitates the cycle of pain in fibromyalgic sufferers irrespective of the amount or duration of positive thoughts.”

“Conflict with parents and later with partners adds to the stress and contributes to the more negative perceptions of life by women with fibromyalgia as indicated by the journal European Psychiatry in 2000.”

“Long term stress that is continuous and chronic affects the neuroendocrine system making it less effective over time.”

“The early chronic experience of stress appears to exert a much larger influence in contributing to the pain of fibromyalgia than any current stressful life event, as a 2006 study reported in the journalPsychoneuroendocrinolgy.”

If you would like to resolve your fibromyalgia, or know someone who suffers from fibomyagia, CFS, IBS, anxiety/depression etc, then email me on tim@timaltman.com.au or call 0425 739 918.

http://medicalhealthnews.info/fibromyalgia-linked-childhood-stress-unprocessed-negative-emotions-2/

By Tim Altman 26/02/2018 Chronic Illness, Evolutionary Medicine, Fasting, Naturopathy, Nutrition and Weight Loss, Performance, Sleep Enhancement Benefits of Fasting, cfs, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic illness, Detox, Fasting, Fatigue, fibromyalgia, IBS, immune system, intermittent fasting, juice fast, Melbourne, mental health, mental illness, naturopath melbourne, Naturopath Torquay, nutrition, Online consultation, Tim Altman

Research: Intermittent Fasting Slows Down The Ageing Process

Harvard Study Shows The Surprising Impact of Intermittent Fasting On The Ageing Process

More evidence (linked at the bottom) showing the outstanding benefits of fasting and intermittent fasting.

If not for weight loss, detoxification, reducing inflammation, treating chronic illness, CFS, fibromyalgia, IBS, depression, anxiety or boosting your immune system, why not try it so that you live longer…

I offer intermittent and extended fasting progams one on one with individuals or with groups. I use bio-impedance testing along the way to monitor energy levels, inflammation, body composition, biological age. See these link for more details:

Bio-Impedance Analysis

https://timaltman.com.au/case-study-weight-loss-intermittent-fasting/

Contact me at tim@timaltman.com.au or phone 0425 739 918 to make an appointment.

https://ideapod.com/harvard-study-shows-impact-intermittent-fasting-aging-process/?utm_content=buffer8ddc4&utm_medium=share&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=mam