Bone broth has some amazing health benefits ranging from getting rid of wrinkles, easing arthritic pain to even healing leaky gut!!  The source of these benefits can attributed to the high quantities of collagen that are so healing for the entire body.  Collagen is the basis of all tissue; bone, teeth, skin, muscle and joints making bone broth the perfect drink for everyone ranging from toddlers to athletes!!!   It has become the latest trend in healthy living!

Bones are the mineral store of the body and bone stock is packed full of these healthy minerals and collagen which help to keep our own bones and teeth in optimum condition as well skin elasticity. There is no comparison to the store bought versions which lack gelatin and often contain MSG. The gelatin contains fat-soluble vitamins and it helps the body to absorb the minerals. In times of sickness a cup of stock is useful for any colds, flues or tummy problems… it also helps repair a leaky gut! J

I recommend investing in a slow cooker if you’re going to start making your own broth. You can pick one up for between €30 -€50 and they can be left on over night without worrying!

Ingredients:

• Leftover bones and joints from an organic or free-range animal. Break the bones to release marrow. (Butcher can do this for you in bigger bones)
• 4-5 litres of water (bottled is best as tap water contains chloride and fluoride)
• 1 large onion
• 2 large carrots
• 2 celery stalks chopped roughly
• 2 table spoons of apple cider vinegar
• 2 cloves of garlic added in the last half hour of cooking
• Herbs like parsley, rosemary, basil, thyme or oregano
• 1 tablespoon of dried seaweed flakes will increase nutrient value.

Directions

1. Place the bones into the slow cooker and pour in bottled water to cover the bones and add in the vinegar. Let sit for 1 hour in the cool water. The acid helps make the nutrients in the bones more available.
2. Roughly chop and add the vegetables to the pot. Add any salt, pepper, spices, or herbs that you like. (Except if using parsley and garlic they are added near the end!)
3. Bring the broth to a boil. Once it has reached a vigorous boil, reduce to a simmer for between 4-24 hours. This will vary depending on how much time you have yourself but the longer you leave it the more nutrients will be in the stock!
4. During the first few hours of simmering, you’ll need to remove the impurities that float to the surface. A foamy layer may form and it can be easily scooped off with a big spoon.  Free range and organic animals will produce much less of this than battery animals.
5. When it’s finished strain the liquid discarding the bones and vegetables and only keeping the liquid. Don’t be tempted to remove the gelatin or fatty globules these contain most of the nutrients and they will be the tastiest part for making soups and gravies!
6. Homemade Broth will last 3-4 days in the fridge or you can freeze it using a silicon muffin tray to make your own homemade stock cubes!
7. For illness, autoimmunity or leaky gut I recommend 1 cup every evening before bed.  This will support the body to do repair work while you’re asleep!

I wanted to share my experience with you having a Colonic Hydrotherapy treatment! As a Nutritional Therapist I like to try out things myself before recommending them to a client… I was feeling very nervous because I really didn’t know what to expect! Taking the unknown factor out of it will hopefully encourage more people to avail of this wonderful treatment… Being a nutritional therapist I am very comfortable talking about bowel movements daily with clients so I thought I would be the perfect candidate to write a blog post on the whole experience!

After arriving to clinic I was welcomed into the waiting area and invited to fill out a consultation form; while listening to some soothing music in the background.  Antoinette was my therapist, she is a fully qualified nurse and very professional and reassuring. She explained all utensils were disposable and hospital grade and detailed everything that would happen during the treatment.

She directed me to the bathroom where I was given disposable undies, Velcro towel wrap and some cosy socks so my feet wouldn’t get cold! I thought this was a lovely touch!!

I returned to the room where I was directed onto the bed and she began to work her magic. The most uncomfortable part was getting the tube inserted but once it’s in you can’t really feel it.   She flushes the bowel with warm water and you let her know when you’re feeling an urge to pass a movement; at that point she releases the water again and this relieves the urge to go!!  She repeated this several times changing the water temperature. During the treatment I was giving the option of having a toilet break which I gladly accepted… This gave me the opportunity to empty my bowel while I read one of her little books on positive affirmations!

When I was done I returned to the bed for the rest of my treatment. I was curious to know what was actually coming through the tube but she said not much at all as I had cleared most of it out during my toilet break (which I was kind of relieved about)!!

She massaged and palpated my abdomen and found tender areas of inflammation, which she informed me was around my gall bladder and liver. This is very interesting to me because I have suffered from hormonal issues for many years.   As a nutritional therapist I understand the liver and bile is what removes excess hormones, if this system is not functioning optimally it can cause a build up excess hormones in the system!

She finished off my treatment with a coffee enema and explained the amazing benefits! She informed me she was using the Gerson Therapy brand of coffee; this is used in the protocol for the Gerson Cancer treatment. Amazingly a coffee enema can speed up liver function by up to a massive 600% (according to Dr Gerson).  It helps eliminate toxins and bile by stimulating the liver and gall bladder.  During the coffee enema I felt an amazing feeling of Euphoria – I don’t usually drink coffee but if that’s what people are experiencing then no wonder it’s addictive!!

After the coffee enema she flushed out my colon for the last time to help remove any bile residue. She felt my tummy again and it didn’t feel as tender as before – this hopefully indicates some of the pressure was relieved from my gall bladder!

Once the treatment was finished I sat down with Antoinette and she gave me a cup of warm herbal tea and we discussed my follow up recommendations. I must say it was lovely to be getting advice for change from giving it!! She recommended magnesium, a probiotic and a castor oil wrap which I’m really excited about trying out!!

I was really happy with the treatment and couldn’t recommend Antoinette more highly!  You can book a consultation with her in her clinic in Westside Galway.

I paid for my session and I did not receive any gratuities for writing this blog it was just a record of my own experience for anyone who is interested!