Q: My bottom gets really itchy. I’m too embarrassed to talk to my doctor or pharmacist about it. I try not to scratch but it is really hard. Are there any natural remedies you can recommend?

A: It does sound to me like you have a fungal problem or parasites but if the following measures don’t help you should visit your doctor to be properly investigated. 

 

Once fungal infections take hold in a warm damp area they can be hard to shift and they can make the whole area red and inflamed and scratching will just make the problem worse. As a first line of defence you need to avoid eating any sugars and yeast containing foods. So, bread, cheese, stock cubes, dried fruit and yeast extracts should all be avoided until the infection clears, as should sweets, chocolates and biscuits.

 

Internally you need to take a combination of immune boosting herbs and herbs that will boost beneficial bacteria in your gut. I recommend a combination of herbs as well as a good quality probiotic supplement (e.g. BioKult – see the Resources Page).  You may have a candida infection in the gut and this needs to be investigated and treated.  To confirm whether you have a candida infection you can simply do a saliva test at home and the sample is then send to the lab for analysis. (See the Resources Page for details on how to do this test.)

 

To ease the irritation and itching try using a marigold cream. Add eight drops of tea tree oil into a 60g jar of marigold cream and apply two to three times daily. Avoid using soap or shower gel when washing the affected area, simply rinse with cold water and pat dry or rinse the area with cold water and a few drops of tea tree oil. It will take a few weeks for this to clear up and when the itching goes away you will need to continue treatment for a few weeks to make sure the fungal spores are completely destroyed.

 

To test for parasites you can do a stool sample at home and then send the sample in the containers provided to the lab for analysis.  I use these tests for candida and parasites very regularly in the clinic and they are extremely useful in pinpointing the cause of a problem.  If you are interested in the stool test for parasites see the Resources Page.

 

Q: I’ve read up a little about Epsom Salts or Magnesium Sulphate, and they sound great for some skin problems, helping the body to detox, as a muscle relaxant (good for muscle cramp/spasm?) and de-stressor. I would be interested to hear your thoughts on the subject and if there are any cases where it would not be recommended (such as during pregnancy?).

A: We think of magnesium generally as nature’s tranquilliser as it has a calming and relaxing effect on the body including the muscles.  Epsom salts are just hydrated magnesium sulphate and when used in the bath, the magnesium is absorbed through the skin, hence the relaxing effect on problems with muscle cramps and spasms.  This relaxant effect is also useful for women who have painful periods because the womb is a muscle and can also be helpful for other conditions where muscles are affected e.g. fibromyalgia.  The magnesium can also help reduce inflammation so may be useful for people with arthritis and general aches and pains.

Epsom salt baths can also be helpful for skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis as it can reduce inflammation in the skin.  Soaking in Epsom salt baths can also be helpful for relieving a flare up of genital herpes and when suffering from shingles. 

It is also thought that Epsom salts can help draw toxins out of the body, so helpful if you are doing a detox and want something to make the detox more effective.  It is not advisable to detox during pregnancy because the toxins will be released into the bloodstream and can pass into the baby.  So I would suggest that in pregnancy only the feet are soaked in Epsom salts.

For a regular bath use one to two cups of Epsom salts in water temperature that is comfortable (not too hot).  You could do dry body brushing before you get in the bath as this will help to open up the pores to increase the absorption of the Epsom salts.  An Epsom salt bath is best at the end of the day because at the end of the bath, just dry yourself off and get into bed, it is better not to rinse off the salts.

Food in season: Peas

The pea is a type of legume which has been grown by man since the Bronze Age. Historically, legumes have been associated with cultures within which people regularly attained great ages (such as the Japanese, with a soya and tofu-rich diet), and a recent study conducted under the auspices of the World Health Organisation found that eating legumes such as peas was the most important dietary predictor of survival in old age, with a 7-8% reduction in mortality hazard ratio for every 20g increase in daily legume intake.

Peas have earned their spurs as a staple food through their excellent mix of vitamins, minerals and protein. Just 100g provides 5.42g of protein (that’s up to 15% of a woman’s recommended daily intake for protein, and 12% of a man’s); weight-for-weight, full-fat milk provides 3.22g and a hard-boiled egg just over twice that, so it’s a pretty generous serving.

 

They are a terrific source of vitamin C, providing 100% of your recommended daily intake in 100g (40 mg). A high dietary intake of vitamin C can reduce the risk of cancer, with this antioxidant vitamin protecting DNA from damage induced by free radicals and preventing the oxidation of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol which would eventually lead to blocked arteries and cardiovascular disease. It also enhances your immune system and ensures healthy teeth, bones and skin.

 

Peas are also extremely rich in B vitamins – including thiamine (B1) (27/33% of a man/woman’s recommended daily intake per 100g), niacin (B3) (12/16%), B6 (12/14%) and riboflavin (B2) (10/12%) – all of which are essential for metabolising food and therefore boosting our energy levels. They meet a good proportion of your daily requirements for iron, too, with 1.47 mg/100g being 17% of a man’s and 10% of a woman’s recommended daily amount. Iron is essential for red blood cell formation, and a deficiency leaves you fatigued and anaemic.

 

In addition, 100g of peas provides 32.5% of the recommended daily amount for folate, which not only prevents neural tube defects such as spina bifida in the developing foetus but also interacts with riboflavin to reduce levels of homocysteine, an amino acid which is linked to higher risks of coronary heart disease and strokes. And there’s more hearty news: research suggests that diets high in fibre can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, and peas provide 5.1g of protein for every 100g eaten.

 

Eating peas could be a great way to protect your bones, too. Researchers in the Netherlands and the US have recently found that a high dietary intake of folic acid reduces the risk of osteoporosis-related bone fractures, again by lowering those homocysteine levels, while peas also offer lots of bone-protective vitamin K (24.8mcg), phosphorus (108mg/100g; 20% of RDA), copper (0.176mg/100g; 15% of RDA), potassium (244mg/100g; 7% of RDA) and manganese (0.41mg/100g; up to 41% of daily needs.).

 

These little green powerhouses are a good source of lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids which are essential for eye health, protecting against cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (the most common cause of sight loss in older age). And they might even improve your sex life – they are bursting with zinc, a mineral essential for healthy reproductive cycle in woman and testosterone production in men. If you’re short on zinc, the consequences could be poor libido, erectile dysfunction and even infertility. Just 100g of peas will satisfy up to 31% of a woman’s and 23% of a man’s daily zinc needs.