Summer, Sun & Wellbeing
Health and zest for life are so important - come on a journey with us
Dear friends,
Dear patients,
Dear followers of nabo!
Recharge your batteries from nature? For many, now is exactly the right time.
Many allergy sufferers and asthmatics have already had a stressful and symptom-intensive time before spring. For others, the increase in conflict around the world is causing renewed concern. The overstimulation is often reflected in the form of physical overreactions on the skin as well as an overreacting immune system. Daily practice confirms how much younger People, as well as older People, are now increasingly complaining of corresponding complaints.
This is exhausting for the body and demands a lot mentally, especially from those affected by chronic illnesses. So it is hardly surprising that a large number of scientific studies have come to the conclusion that failing to take a holistic view of all relevant factors, both physical and mental, is almost negligent, especially when it comes to lifestyle diseases. An exciting study on this was published in 2022 as part of the SKL Happiness Atlas and is dedicated to the “happiness gap of women” in times of crisis.
Multiple factors – frequent triggers for lifestyle diseases
A few years ago, women always had a small happiness advantage over men. In recent years, however, this has turned into the opposite: while men have marched through past crises more or less unimpressed, women have clearly lost quality of life. It can also be deduced from this that social stress can also have an impact on children’s health: One in three children in the 10 to 12 age group has become fatter in the years from 2020 – 2022, according to a Forsa survey.
A Danish proverb says: “Enjoy the moment, because today is the first day of the rest of your life!” Symptoms are always warning signals that should be understood as a wake-up call today, not tomorrow! Reflect more strongly on things that are good for everyone, but above all for your own soul. Take up an old hobby that has long been neglected – meet up with friends more often or get out into nature. We’ve put together a few tips and ideas for you in this newsletter!
Because it’s good for you: smoothies for the immune system
Now is the time to close the happiness gaps! Summer is finally here, and with it hopefully lots of positive solar energy for us all to recharge our batteries! Speaking of refueling: there are now lots of young fruit and vegetables available at the markets and in the stores that we can use to boost our immune system (and even slim down a little if necessary). This can also be turned into a delicious smoothie for a healthy snack. Homemade smoothies taste even better than industrially produced ones from the chiller cabinet.
Naturopaths Farid Zitoun and Christian Rüger explain which vegetables are particularly healthy and what else you need to consider when it comes to smoothies in the latest news article on the topic of smoothies!
This is definitely healthy: recharge your batteries in nature
The summer weather invites you to go outside and recharge your batteries with vitamin D. Almost two thirds of the German population have a suboptimal supply of this vital vitamin, which is produced by exposure to sunlight. We have an app tip for all those who like to set off on foot or by bike to explore their surroundings, both near and far: Flora Incognita is a useful application that allows you to identify almost every tree and flower you come across on your way.
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If you are looking for peace and quiet, you should try a swim in the forest. You don’t need a bathing suit or towel, because forest bathing is a mindful sojourn in the forest where not only stressed-out People can find new joie de vivre and slow down. Health experts & Youtubers Farid Zitoun and Christian Rüger reveal everything you need to know about Shinrin Yoku (the Japanese term for forest bathing) in the video.
Snakemed: Effect of enzymes on allergies and skin diseases – Healing with the venom of snakes?
SOS Allergy: Snake Medicine – Snake venom (Snakemed) a potent remedy
The famous Swiss physician and naturopath Paracelsus (1493-1541) is credited with the following quote: “All things are poison, and nothing is without poison. Only the dose makes a thing not a poison”. Samuel Hahnemann also made use of this insight a good 200 years later. Hahnemann was a doctor and one of the first food chemists: he invented Hahnemann’s wine tasting, which incidentally had little to do with oenological pleasures, quite the opposite: it was the first way to test whether winegrowers had adulterated their wine with lead sugar, which was not uncommon at the time and was responsible for severe poisoning and secondary diseases such as gout. In addition, Samuel Hahnemann was a co-founder of homeopathy: he created the mother tincture and was the first to recognize the healing potential of highly diluted potencies. Snake venom therapy: Snakemed and allergy – soothing with snake venom? The bite of a venomous snake is often fatal. However, the same venom can be used in extremely diluted form to treat a variety of diseases, e.g. rheumatism or skin complaints such as psoriasis or neurodermatitis. More than 50 different substances have been identified in snake venom, which can affect heart function, the skeleton and the muscles, among other things.
Just a few weeks ago, a study was published in which a protein from the venom of the Brazilian lance viper was successfully used against the coronavirus in monkeys. Farid Zitoun and Christian Rüger from Naturheilzentrum Bottrop draw on scientific findings in addition to their 30 years of professional expertise in the use of snake venom against a variety of diseases in empirical medicine.
Snake Medicine
Snakemed – the generic term for animal venom-based therapy, which uses homeopathic doses of venom from snakes, toads and scorpions. The venom of various snakes is injected intramuscularly or intracutaneously in high dilutions into defined acupuncture points. The assumption is that this has a long-term soothing effect not only on allergies, but also on rheumatism, psoriasis and other chronic skin diseases as a stimulating treatment. This experience is based not least on the many years of successful work by Norbert Zimmermann, a naturopath practicing in Düsseldorf until 2021. Snake venom therapy – what is it good for? The many conditions for which snake venom treatment is used include hay fever as well as skin conditions such as scaly skin, acne, psoriasis and neurodermatitis. In combination with other natural healing methods, Snakemed can be a further treatment for a variety of illnesses and a valuable alternative!
Increased resistance? Food(s) for the microbiome
Everyone talks about the microbiome, we feed it! The microbiome is the name given to the multitude of microorganisms that colonize our body and are our allies in the fight against many diseases. The composition of the microbiome is influenced by our diet and our body’s immunocompetence, among other things. Researchers at the renowned Stanford University recently discovered in a study that fermented foods can have a positive influence on the microbiome: they increase the diversity of microorganisms in the gut and reduce the risk of developing bowel cancer. Fermented foods can be made at home without much effort and can be kept in the fridge for several months.
We are familiar with the principle of fermentation from sauerkraut production: white cabbage is fermented and preserved with the help of lactic acid bacteria. But it’s not just cabbage that can be fermented, many other vegetables from zucchinis and green beans to beetroot can also be fermented. There are many instructions and recipes circulating online, and we have a particularly tasty one for you from BIOSpitzenkoch Ottmar Pohl-Hoffbauer:
Recipe: Fermented beetroot
For 4 portions:
Ingredients: 5 beets, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1 stick vanilla, 1 tsp aniseed, whole, water, 1 tbsp soy sauce
Instructions: Peel the beet and cut into medium-sized pieces. Sprinkle with salt and sugar and massage into the vegetables. Place the beet in an earthenware pot or preserving jar. Add the vanilla and aniseed. Fill up with water until the beet is covered. Add the soy sauce as a fermentation starter. Cover the pot or jar with the lid and leave the beet to ferment at room temperature for 21 days.
Tip: Fermented beet can be kept in the fridge for up to six months. Make sure that the vegetables are always covered with stock. Goes well with fried fish or marinated tofu.
Because it’s important: do something good for yourself – right now!
How about a healthy break? Just treat yourself to some time for the really important things. Summer gives us all so much of what is really good for us. This definitely includes nature, being close to friends, healthy food and a pinch of lightness. The whole thing is rounded off with a smile – in our opinion, the best ingredients for that decisive extra joy in life.
What is important to us: Sharing and continuing to share
We would like to thank you for your invaluable comments and for sharing our contributions with others.
Oh yes – with the free nabo-magazine subscription, you are definitely up-to-date and informed. You are very welcome to share this newsletter with your favorite People and if you are particularly interested in a certain topic, write to us! We’ll reply – we promise. By the way: Feel invited, because we will be back from our summer break on Thursday, August 15th.
In Person – with best regards and in good contact
Your Farid Zitoun and Christian Rüger with the entire nabo team
