With the cold and flu season in full swing, many people turn to vitamin C for a little bit of support. I often hear people say “if you have too much vitamin C, you just wee the excess out”. This is true – however before you wee it out it has interactions with every cell, organ or body part it comes into contact with.

Many of the minerals and vitamins in our body work together in pairs, these are important nutrient ratio’s. It means if one of the pairs is in excess compared to the other, then neither of the minerals are utilised properly. Many of the supplements you can buy over the counter take this into account and will have the pair as part of the supplement, for example many Magnesium supplements will have Calcium in them. However, when you get too much calcium your body will ‘beg, borrow and steal’ Magnesium from where ever it can get it – often depleting organs that require it to function optimally. So having a supplement with both in it is only going to make your Magnesium deficiency worse.

Vitamins are not produced in the body (with the exception of Vit D and a small amount of Vit K and B3). We need to eat food that contain these vitamins. Vit C’s pairs are Copper and Iron. We have all heard, if you want to increase your iron ‘eat some red meat and have a glass of orange juice with it’. This is why. If you end up with too much Vitamin C it can result in an Iron overload and the flow on effect is a Copper deficiency.

Your Copper and Zinc ratio is the key one to keep an eye on, in particular during winter. If you have too much Copper and not enough Zinc you will be susceptible to viral infections, if you have too much Zinc and not enough Copper you will be susceptible to bacterial infections.

​It can be a tricky trying to work out what are the right levels of minerals and vitamins in your body. Having a hair tissue mineral analysis is a great way to assess what supplements will be beneficial to your health.

It has been an absolute delight teaching infant massage at Ngaio Natural Health Centre over the past year.  I have met such wonderful parents with their beautiful babies.

It is a joy to see the connection that parents and their babies have during a massage session. I see parents grow in confidence in the way they interact and use touch to communicate with their little ones, all while the babies become increasingly eager to experience massage.

The more I research about the positive effects of touch on a baby’s development, the more I become impassioned to pass on the amazing skills of infant massage.  In babies, positive touch can reduce stress levels, improve sleep patterns and support muscular development. In the longer term, the child has improved ability to access the relaxation response, self-sooth and build resilience.  *If you'd like to know more, check out the links I recommend below.

It has been lovely hearing from parents on how much they have enjoyed the course; the impact massage has had on their babies and their relationship.
 
“My baby is calmer, relaxed and sleepy straight after a massage”
“It has been a wonderful opportunity to further connect with my baby”
“Really enjoyable, great to create a stronger bond with my baby”
 
 * Recommended links for more info about the benefits of Infant Massage
www.iaim.net/benefits/  
www.urbanchildinstitute.org/articles/research-to-policy/research/enhancing-development-through-the-sense-of-touch
www.iaim.net/infant-massage-stress-and-relaxation/
www.parentingscience.com/secure-attachment-relationships.html

by Amy Dawson 
Massage Therapist

Infant Massage courses with Amy Dawson at Ngaio Natural Health Centre