Gillian McKeith's Food Bible (174 page)

Read Gillian McKeith's Food Bible Online

Authors: Gillian McKeith

Vitamin E is protective and enhances the immune response.

Take bromelain enzyme supplements if you have been on antibiotics.

EXTRA TIPS

Add apple cider vinegar to a warm bath with a few drops of eucalyptus, bergamot, lavender, or juniper essential oils.

Wear cotton underwear and avoid perfumed soaps, tight-fitting pants, deodorants, and wipes.

Use pessaries made from lactobacilli species.

Exercise helps the immune system, so get active but in moderation. Overdoing it when not well creates stress. Walking, swimming, tai chi, and yoga are all suitable.

Essential oils in the bath such as cedarwood, cypress, fennel, geranium, ginger, juniper, thyme, and rosemary all have useful properties. Avoid in pregnancy and check with a medical practitioner before using them.

If there is no improvement in 48 hours or if symptoms such as fever, nausea, or back pain appear or worsen, go to a doctor immediately or a hospital emergency room; the infection could be spreading up to the kidneys, causing a life-threatening condition, pyelonephritis.

If you are a regular sufferer of this condition, it’s a good idea to keep a food diary to see if any foods or drinks are potential triggers or appear to make it worse.

DANDRUFF

Dandruff is characterized by flakes of dead skin accumulating in the scalp and hair.

CAUSES MAY INCLUDE

Imbalance in the oil-secreting glands of the scalp.

Fungal infection.

Deficiency in essential fats or zinc.

Hormonal imbalances.

ACTION PLAN

Using shampoos alone doesn’t get to the root of the problem (if you’ll pardon the pun).

EAT/DRINK

Foods containing fibers that feed the beneficial bacteria in the gut: chicory, Jerusalem artichokes, sauerkraut, brown rice, quinoa, and carrots.

Oily fish. These contain anti-inflammatory essential fats that are often low in people with dandruff.

Hemp, flax, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds. The cold-pressed oils of these seeds can be used in salad dressings for extra benefits.

Biotin-rich foods: spinach, Swiss chard, broccoli, soy, edamame, sweet potatoes, brown rice, mushrooms, and fish. Biotin helps to stop yeasts (cause of dandruff) budding full cycle.

Raw garlic. Garlic has excellent antifungal properties.

Zinc-rich foods, including fish, pumpkin seeds, and raw shelled hemp seeds.

Selenium-rich foods for immunity, including Brazil nuts, broccoli, dulse, garlic, and kelp.

AVOID