Enjoy FREE 15 minute taster sessions at

Pure Body Balance  5 Regent St, Cheltenham, GL50 1HE

Enjoy holistic healing treatments

From our team of passionate and esteemed practitioners

Get informed with: 

Chinese Tongue Mapping – to reveal inner issues of health and well-being

Nutritional Fuel Mix Quiz – with top tips about energetic foods for winter

Postural Assessment – to pin-point muscular and joint pain

Re-balance with: 
Healing Reflexology – to revitalise energy levels

Indulge with:
Rejuvenating Hot Stone, Relaxing Hand or Neck Massage – to de-stress and unwind 

To top it all off we are giving away discount vouchers for all therapies and courses of treatment, free lifestyle analysis tips, recipe cards and festive handmade snacks! 

The Many Applications…..Many regard massage as a wonderful therapy, a special treat, a pampering experience. But massage has many applications. We’ve all seen images of well built sportsmen being robustly pummeled by an equally well built masseur on a massage table. We know some people would melt at the thought of a spa treatment. We may even have heard of cultures where baby massage is seen as necessary as mothers’ milk, such as in parts of India. We may not be so familiar with massage being used to support treatments for cancer and other medical conditions. We may not realise the many benefits massage has to offer the older generation in supporting their general health and wellbeing. Many may not be aware of massage and complementary therapies being regularly used in palliative care.

Why you may wish to consider having Massage….Being diagnosed with cancer has to be one of the most traumatic moments of a person’s life. Accepting this diagnosis and dealing with surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy can be extremely stressful. When we add into the mix a lack of sleep, worry, anger and fear, it is not surprising your body may respond with tense muscles, sore joints, aches and general malaise.

During this time, life can often appear to revolve around hospital appointments, medical procedures, doctors and operations. Yet throughout all of this we may still be working and managing our day to day affairs.

There is no scientific evidence to show that massage can treat or cure cancer, but massage is commonly used to help people feel better and to reduce some of the symptoms of cancer and the side effects of treatment. Some people worry that having a massage when you have cancer may make the cancer cells travel to other parts of the body, but research has clearly shown this is not the case.

These days complementary therapies are often available to people undergoing chemotherapy in hospital. They can support patients by providing a soothing, relaxing treatment during a difficult time or, by working on particular areas, making it easier for doctors to locate a vein.  A gentle foot or hand massage can help reduce tension, reassure an anxious patient, or even help lift the spirits of someone feeling a bit low.

Studies have shown that a diagnosis of cancer can make people feel ‘alienated’ from their bodies. Some may feel their body has failed them or that they have lost control of their body to the disease. They may not be willing to accept physical changes that occur during the course of their treatment. Many find it difficult to share their concerns with partners and family however much they would like to.

We may reach a point when we feel the need to rebuild our lives, to restore our sense of self. As with many types of complementary therapies, one of the main reasons that people with cancer use massage is because it helps them feel good, and is a way they feel they can help themselves. It is often promoted by such organisations as CancerResearch UK as a natural way to help you relax and cope with pain and anxiety. There is supporting evidence to show that massage can help lift your mood, improve your sleep and enhance your sense of wellbeing.

Many medical professionals now accept that massage has shown itself invaluable in helping people to:

• · Accept their body as it is,
• · Regain confidence in their body,
• · Become aware of their body in a positive way
   

The benefits include reducing levels of stress, improving self-esteem and soothing and alleviating pain.
Is it safe for me….That said it’s not safe for everyone to have a massage so always talk to your doctor before using any type of therapy, and always make sure your therapist is qualified to treat you. This is especially important if you are having cancer treatment, are very weak, or are suffering from bone fractures.

If you are having radiotherapy you should tell the therapist so she can avoid massaging the treated area. You should not have massage to any area of your body where the skin is broken, bleeding or bruised.

What is involved in having a massage…On your first visit for a massage, the therapist will ask you some general questions about your health, lifestyle and medical history. If they are concerned that massage may interfere with your health or any medication you are on, they may ask if they can contact your GP. This is just to check that your GP is happy for you to have massage. In general, it is rare that your doctor will say no. But there may be situations where your doctor/ consultant recommend that you don’t have a treatment.

Most massage sessions usually last an hour, but this will depend on you and your therapist. Your therapist might play some relaxing music during your massage, and they will ensure you’re comfortable and happy with the pressure being applied. It is important that you let your therapist know if you feel uncomfortable and want them to stop at any time.

You will be asked about any allergies or sensitivities and appropriate oils may be used to smooth, calm and moisturise the skin. The therapist will ensure that only the part of the body being worked on is exposed and that you are happy and comfortable with the treatment.

Written by Sandra Baker – Therapeutic Massage

For more information contact Sandra at info@sandrabaker.co.uk

Or to make a booking call Pure Body Balance Integrated Health Clinic on 01242 254662

 Are you all loved up and in the mood to spoil your loved one? But freaked out at the thought of trying to find a restaurant that will cater for their particular requirements?? It’s easy. I promise if you simply follow my top tips for eating out below you will be scoring some serious brownie points with your special someone.

Happy Valentines Day. x

1. Do your homework– get on the net and look at the menus before you book, or simply phone up and speak to the manager, tell him/her what your specific requirements are. This avoids any embarrassment that could potentially spoil the romantic flow!

2. Don’t be shy – make friends with the waitor, tell him/her what you need, be confident and friendly and they will be sure to look after you.

3. Say NO – to the bread basket, it is so much easier to be strong when the carrot is not being dangled under your nose!

4. If in doubt– stick to simple dishes. If you are too shy to quiz the waitor on the ingredients stick to something simple. if you go to a gastro pub, you can’t beat a beautiful steak and chips. You know what you are getting.

6. Opt for Champagne - if you want to have a tipple. It does not contain chemicals or sulphites which can lead to hangover symptoms, plus it’s totally Gluten Free.

7. Sweet tooth– dessert are a bit of a nightmare when you are out. Why not skip it and suggest a nightcap at your place instead!!

   Happy Valentine’s Day to you – Enjoy!

Never fear you will not be left out this year as the rest of the family flips their tasty homemade pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. This recipe is so delicious no one will ever know it is Gluten Free!

These naturally gluten free pancakes have as slightly heavier more savoury taste than traditional pancakes, great all year round as a breakfast option or a dessert. They are fantastic comfort food and give you a sweet treat without the blood glucose crash and burn or the tummy bloating many get from wheat. I use goats milk in my recipes as many gluten intolerant tummies tend to aslo be lactose sensitive. However many can still tolerate Goat’s products due to the difference in its molecular structure! For those also avoiding dairy you can use coconut milk.

Ingredients                                       

 1 tbsp Organic Goat’s Butter or Coconut Oil

50g Organic Buckwheat Flour

190ml Organic Goat’s Milk Rice Milk or Coconut Milk

1 Organic Egg

To Taste:

Seasonal Organic Fruits

Raw Organic Honey

Organic Goat’s Yogurt

1. Whisk the flour, egg and milk together until you have a smooth paste.
2. If you want to make lighter ‘crepes’ then add a little extra water at this point to make a thinner batter, note that if using rice milk or coconut milm the mixture will naturally be thinner.
3. Heat a teaspoon of coconut oil or butter at a time  in a small frying pan and swirl around to cover the base. NOTE: the size of your pan will determine the size of your pancake, so if you want small thick ones go for a smaller pan.
4. Add enough batter to cover the base of the pan, tilting to  spread evenly and fry until golden underneath and then turn or flip gently and fry on the other side until golden and cooked through (they are quite delicate at this stage) but well worth the effort!
5. Repeat this process, adding more oil when needed, you can keep them warm in a pre-heated oven or eat them while you go.
6. Serve with topped with fresh seasonal fruit, yogurt and a small drizzle of honey.  Or in classic style a squeeze of lemon and honey.

I am not a huge fan of super foods as I find many of them are overpriced and quite frankly don’t taste that great. However Raw Cacao is one of the exceptions to the rule! Raw Cacao is the unprocessed natural form of chocolate and contains huge amounts of the antioxidant Flavanol. Antioxidants protect the body from free radicals which can otherwise damage our DNA, causing premature aging and degenerative diseases. Raw cacao has been shown to contain twice the amount of antioxidants found in red wine and green tea. It is also super yummy and can be used to make all kinds of chocolatey treats!!

Ingredients

100g Organic Raw Cacao Butter melted

5 tbsp Organic Raw Cacao Powder

1 tbsp Organic Raw Carob Powder

1 tbsp Organic Agave Syrup or Raw Honey

½ tsp Chilli Powder

Pinch Organic Sea Salt

Note these chocolates require a chocolate or sweet mould. You can buy all the ingredients above from www.vivapure.co.uk

1. Using the double boiler method (sauce pan with boiling water and a glass bowl inside) gently melt the cacao butter.
2. Add the cacao powder and carob powder and whisk using a balloon whisk.
3. Whisk in the Agave and then the chilli and salt.
4. Remove from glass bowl from the pan and pour straight into your moulds.
5. Freeze for 20 minutes, you will then be able to easily pop the chocolates out of the moulds.
6. Store in a container suitable for the freezer and separate each layer of chocolates with grease proof paper.
7. Pop back in the Freezer and simply remove the amount you want 1 hour before serving. Alternatively store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Ok so you’ve just started your gluten free (dairy free) food plan, you’re feeling great, bags more energy, your waistline is shrinking before your eyes and your skin is glowing.

Suddenly the festive season has arrived and all that good work is imminently at risk of being thrown away as we are caught up in the feeding frenzy that is Christmas!! So how do you negotiate the plethora of Christmas buffets, family dinners and Christmas parties without putting the brakes on your fantastic success so far?

Arm yourself with my Top Tips for a Gluten Free Christmas and you will be ringing in the New Year with a happy healthy body, mind and soul.

Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy, Prosperous New Year to you. x

1. Full English Breakfast – start the day with a high protein English Brekkie. Everyone knows this is the most important meal of the day; you will be less likely to gorge on naughty snacks if you start the day with a full tummy. Buy good quality organic meat and enjoy this traditional English feast guilt free.

2. Make your own truffles or chocolates - Simply follow my recipes and you will have rich dark yummy chocolates that contain only the best raw organic live ingredients. They are so tasty that you will only want a couple so great for your waistline too!

3. Don’t go empty handed – take your own tasty Gluten Free goodies with you when you are visiting friend and family over Christmas. Most of us don’t like to arrive empty handed anyway so kill two birds with one stone and take a selection of your favourite unpasteurised goats cheeses and gluten free crackers.

1.  4. The Christmas Buffet – the obligatory Christmas buffet will be brimming with breads, crackers, cakes, cheeses  and chocolates. Make life easy for yourself and take a few extra bits you know you can eat and add them to the table, or head for the salads, cold meats, pate and veggie sticks. You can always settle your sweet tooth   when you get home with some of your beautiful homemade truffles.

5.  Eat before you go – if you know you are going somewhere where you will be tempted, have a snack before you go, there is nothing worse than and empty tummy and a bulging table of naughty nibbles to make your will power weak and your mouth salivate!

6. Be Prepared – If you have booked a festive meal out then be prepared and phone ahead. Any decent restaurant will be more than happy to cater for your needs and it saves the awkward embarrassment at the dinner table as you scan through the menu desperately trying to find something you know you can eat.

7. Opt for Organic Red Wine or Champagne if you want to have a tipple. They do not contain chemicals or sulphites which can lead to hangover symptoms. Remember it is the dose that is your poison so activate your quantity control!

8. Be the Hostess – this way you are in complete control, simply ask your guests to bring a bottle to contribute to the cost.

1. 
2. 9. Hydrate – with all the best will in the world the festive season is a time where we will indulge our taste buds more than we should. Be sure to support your detox pathways with plenty of fresh clean water daily to minimise the ‘damage’ caused.

10. Chill out – if all else fails and you eat something you know you shouldn’t, just relax, life is for living and while it may not serve your greater health stressing over it will only make things worse!!

Merry Christmas To You – Enjoy!

Ok so with just under 4 weeks until Christmas the Gluten and Dairy free foodies amongst us will be trying to figure out the best way to dodge the plethora of festive treats such as crumbly mince pies and thickly whipped brandy butter, short bread biscuits dunked in a steaming mug of hot chocolate and of course the oodles of brightly wrapped sickly sweet chocolates that seem to pop up wherever you go.

My big little Sis as I affectionately call her (namely because she is older but smaller!) has been my family’s Gluten free mascot for the last 15 years, growing up I never really understood how lonely and isolated she felt around meal times particular at Christmas with all of the festive goodies laid out to tempt her.

In the last 3 years I have also chosen the gluten free path and have added the ‘no dairy’ for good measure! I have to say my health challenges; bloating, stomach pains, indigestion, night sweats, weight challenges etc etc have all gone but I have been left with the question of…what the hell can I actually eat?!

I have made it my mission to combine my natural talents of ultra organizational skills and my love for cooking (my friends say that I am Monica in ‘Friends’) to bring you the best, homemade, organic, gluten and dairy free recipes to make your life easy and literally pain free. These recipes are so good that you will be converting people left right and centre with these tasty treats.

So first up is the quintessential English tradition of Christmas Mince Pies. This recipe combines a readymade organic mincemeat for ease and speed with a naturally gluten free buckwheat pastry. The pastry is super crispy and crumbly and a little more savoury than conventional pastry which offsets the sweetness of the mincemeat perfectly.

Homemade ‘Cheats Mincemeat’ – Buckwheat Mince Pies

Ingredients
10 oz / 285g Buckwheat Flour
4 Tbsp Organic Sunflower Oil
3 Tbsp Organic Olive Oil
1 Level tsp Xantham Gum
1/2 tsp Salt
Cold Water

300g jar  ‘Authentic Bread Co’ Organic Mincemeat

1. In a bowl mix well your buckwheat flour with your xantham gum and salt.
2. Add your olive and rapeseed oil and rub together with your fingers.
   Your pastry mix will not clump together like when using wheat and butter (shortcrust pastry).
3. It should stick together in your hand then crumble away.
4. Carefully add cold water to your gluten free pastry mixture.
   Only add a little at a time keep mixing well before adding more water so that you can see when you do not need to add any more.
5. When the gluten free pastry mixture is clumping together and becoming a little sticky then your buckwheat pastry is ready.
6. Bring together with your hands to form a ball.
7. Roll out into a thin sheet, the thinner you can roll your pastry the crispier your pies will turn out!

So what is Functional Medicine??

1. Functional medicine focuses on preventative health care; this means listening to the many signals your body is giving you.

2. Functional medicine utilises leading DNA lab testing to assess how well the body’s 4 major systems; hormonal, digestive, detoxification and immune are working.

3. Functional medicine uncovers the root cause of your symptoms which almost always stems from an imbalance in one or more of the major body systems.

Are you suffering with?

• IBS • Heartburn, indigestion, acid reflux

• Constipation and/or diarrhoea

• Bloating, Stomach cramps

• Nausea, vomiting

• Abdominal pain, chest pain

• Bad breath

• Anaemia

• Anxiety, depression, mood swings

• Fatigue/low energy

• Skin conditions (eczema, Urticuria, psoriasis)

• PMS

• Headaches, migraine

• Sleep problems

• Weight gain/loss

Getting started…

 If you would like to learn how to overcome your health challenges, discuss your concerns or goals, call Karen on 01242 254662 / 07773787104 or email karen@purebodybalance.co.uk or click here to book your FREE complimentary consultation.

All lab samples are taken in the comfort of your own home. Health programs are designed from your in depth health assessment and lab results. Coaching sessions are planned to suit the individual’s needs and can be carried out via telephone and email with interactive videos and written plans.

MY STORY a note from Karen….

Despite a health conscious lifestyle and a wealth of knowledge in the holistic health industry I had struggled with niggling health challenges for over ten years. In the last 3 years despite my lifestyle being the ‘cleanest’ it had ever been things had been getting progressively worse. Mood swings, foggy brain, difficulty concentrating, night sweats, severe constipation, difficulty digesting foods and eczema type skin irritations would just not go away no matter what I tried.

Eventually on my 30th Birthday things reached breaking point, a small slice of birthday cake caused such severe colic type pain that I almost collapsed in the middle of town. I knew in my heart that this was not normal and made it my mission to find answers to what was happening to me.

The discovery of Functional Medicine lab testing uncovered much more than I had every anticipated! I had 3 major infestations living in my gut; Helicobater Pylori a bacterial infection, Blastocystis Hominis a parasitic infection and Trichuris Trichiura a worm infestation!

Within a month of starting the herbal protocols and following an anti-inflammation food plan the change both internally and externally was remarkable. I lost 7lbs in weight, my skin irritation disappeared, I began having regular bowel movements, and was sleeping through the night. Two months on my emotional health was beginning to restore its self, my concentration returned and I was able to enjoy many of the hobbies and interest that previously had been impossible.

I have had such huge personal success in restoring my own health that I have spent many months learning and studying the techniques that I used personally from one of the UK’s best Functional Medicine experts so that I can help coach and guide others towards long term optimal health, without the use of chemicals, drugs or complicated procedures.

I am so excited to be able to share my story with you today and know that the success that I have had can be yours too. For more information or to book a complimentary consultation with Karen; call 07773787104 or email karen@purebodybalance.co.uk

www.purebodybalanceshop.co.uk