Below you will find a selection of the most recent entries from bloggers in our Family/Health section. To view the entries from individual bloggers, click on the links below:
- Lee Eldrige
The Athlete Tribe
- Dr. Michelle Wright
Dr Michelle Wright is a British-trained General Practitioner and Director of HealthFirst, providing physical First Aid training and Mental Health First Aid training, as well as Health Education, throughout Switzerland (www.healthfirst.ch). She also has a regular radio show about health on World Radio Switzerland. Believing that prevention is better than cure and that we should be treating the root cause of illness, Dr Michelle is also a Lifestyle Medicine enthusiast. - Birgit Suess is a Swiss-American who grew up between the US and Switzerland and speaks English, German and Swiss-German. Because of a worldwide shortage of Speech Therapists, she uses technology to connect special needs students around the world with English speaking Speech Therapists. With almost 20 years of experience as a Speech Therapist and 10 years experience with Teletherapy, she is a pioneer in the Teletherapy world. Her personal specialty is working on social language with high functioning children on the Autism Spectrum. Her passion is finding new and innovative ways to help children with special needs.
- Dr. Irina Schurov is a Nutritional Neuroscientist with a PhD from Cambridge University (UK) and over 20 years’ experience in science and health-providing services. She created and founded LiveRight, an initiative to help others through nutrition and wellbeing strategies. By building an educational platform around healthy eating habits, by restoring the relationships between people and food, by supporting your individual circumstances and through personalized coaching in nutrition, she wants to help you and your family achieve the optimal balance between help and life.
- Dr. Penny Fraser
Dr Penny is a British-trained Emergency Medicine doctor, who lives in Geneva. She is also the mother of two busy little skiers aged 7 and 8. Along with Dr Michelle Wright and her other colleagues at HealthFirst, she has a passion for delivering health education and First Aid training to the English-speaking community in Switzerland
The pressure of finding a nanny in a hurry can cloud your judgement and make the final decision and hiring process a messy affair.
Finding a nanny using one of the many popular online sites that allow anyone to list themselves as a nanny is also a dangerous gamble for the family.
The best way around the problem is to use a recruitment consultant with expertise in nanny placements which can save you time and money in the long run.
A reputable nanny recruitment agency will help avoid the following pitfalls when you are hiring your nanny.
By Jennie Delbridge, Peak of Wellbeing
One of the biggest desires people have is to improve the look and function of their core muscles.
Many have tried diets, personal trainers, pilates, detox programmes and the list goes on………
So why haven’t they been getting the results they so desperately want?
Because nice looking abdominal muscles and a functional core are dependent on many factors:
When deciding to hire a live-in nanny, parents have to be aware of both the pros and cons and to carefully consider whether this arrangement would be suited to you and your family.
Pros of a Live-In Nanny
- The nanny becomes part of the family, providing support to the family when parents have to work and need an extra pair of hands
- Children are secure in having the same caregiver on a consistent basis
- Live-in nannies have a more flexible schedule and can be there should you work late or need to leave early or watch the kids overnight
- No need to rush the kids off to daycare before work early in the morning
- You have someone you can use for babysitting (at an extra cost)
- Live-in nannies often help with light housekeeping and run light errands
- Live-in nanny salaries are more cost effective as you are providing the food and accommodation
- There is some anecdotal evidence that the retention rate of a live-in nanny is better than their live-out counterparts
By Jennie Delbridge, Peak of Wellbeing
Many people suffer from an underlying sense of worry, fear and anxiety. They wonder where it all comes from when they have seemingly comfortable lives. Frequently, it stems from a deep seated fear that we are not good enough. That we are not worthy of all the good things we have in our life. Sometimes this comes from childhood hurts or unresolved past issues.
This manifests itself into physical issues such as fatigue, back and neck pain, hormone imbalances, worrying about the small stuff, high blood pressure, moodiness and irritability. If this sounds like a radical concept, think back to a time when you were in a very stressful or unhappy situation.
Did you notice any physical symptoms at the time? Maybe your hand shook a little? Maybe you felt continually exhausted? Perhaps you had low back pain? Most physical issues have an emotional component at root.
By Duncan Reeve, Peak of Wellbeing
Today a client asked me ‘What is the thyroid gland and what does it do?’
A great question! According to Dr. Cass Ingram, author of the Body Shape Diet, the thyroid is known as the ‘master of metabolism.’ One of it’s most important roles is controlling the metabolic rate. This gland also has a role to play in immune function and circulation. Hence why most people who have a thyroid condition suffer from freezing cold hands and feet.
The thyroid needs iodine to function optimally. Iodine can be found in fish and seafood. The idea is that water runs down the rocks, collecting iodine and depositing it into the sea. Hence why fish, seafood and kelp should contain good amounts of Iodine. In the Alps for example, water runs extremely fast down steep mountains and often there isn’t enough time for large quantities of iodine to be collected. People in these regions can often suffer from thyroid issues. On top of this, in certain parts of Europe and the Alps, sauerkraut is a local dish. Extremely nutritious if you don’t have thyroid issues. However, It is known that these kinds of vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli etc. can block thyroid function when eaten raw.
