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Food for Thought!

Hippocrates said: "Let foods be thy medicine". Indeed many cultures have made use of the healing properties of natural foods: the Ancient Egyptians employed honey as an antiseptic and the Chinese and Indian healing traditions credit ginger for its warming properties.

This is also why in both these cultures ginger features as a standard ingredient in traditional dishes prepared for women following childbirth.

Hippocrates may have forgotten to add that water is also an abundant source of healing.

In This Issue

Lovely Low-Cal Laksa

Boost Your Hydration

Brennan Healing Science

At What Therapy we believe that each individual has an innate power to heal themselves. There are many tools you can choose to empower yourself with to look after your body, mind and spirit. We're here to suggest a few you might want to try out:

•    Cafe Pralet Exclusive Promotion for What Therapy Readers
•    Water: Boost hydration with the StirWand
•    "Finding My Mojo" Series: Brennan Healing Science

Have a wonderful November!

Tamara Sigerhall

What Therapy

Unsurprisingly, that's when you start gagging for a coffee and your resistance to sweet snacks also hits a low point.

Luckily, there are a few highly innovative chefs in Singapore, such as Judy Koh, who have taken it upon themselves to serve up wholesome versions of some traditional favorites.

We checked out Cafe Pralet in Tiong Bahru for lunch and were impressed at the number of dishes on the menu that had the seal of approval from the Singapore Health Promotion Board, such as their Tofu Burger, made from tempeh. We were delighted with the hint of sesame flavour and the freshness of the ingredients.

This is a perfect option for vegetarians and those who want comfort food but go easy on the cholesterol. (Tip: if you are vegan, ask them to serve it up without the mayo - the staff were very helpful and happy to accommodate our special requests.)

The low calorie Laksa was also a treat. The flavour was surprisingly authentic Peranakan despite the substitution of half the coconut milk with skim milk. As for dessert, we opted to upgrade to a set meal and rounded our lunch off with a guilt-free carrot muffin (also Health Promotion Board approved) made with half the butter and a decaf iced cappuccino (we're only human too after all!).

The food was served up swiftly and the total cost per head came to around S$10 (no GST, no service charge). All in all, we were very pleased with our experience and are happy to recommend Caffe Pralet who have generously extended the following special offers exclusively to What Therapy readers:


- 10% discount with minimum $20 spend (dine in / takeaway)

- 15% discount with minimum $20 spend in your birthday month (dine in / takeaway)

Oh and while you're there - check out the gorgeous bespoke wedding and birthday cakes

Boost Your Hydration with the StirWand

Water is responsible for moving nutrients around our bodies and most of the chemical reactions within our cells take place in water. Keeping hydrated is therefore extremely important in order for our body to shift chemicals, especially toxins, around our bodies until they are eliminated.

Living in a hot climate, hydration is something we need to concern ourselves with more closely to stay healthy. The main sources in order of effectiveness in hydration are:

- Water
- fruits and vegetables
- Juices
- Broths (although these can be salty)
- Meats and other food sources

The tricky part comes when we evaluate how much of the water we drink is in fact absorbed by the body.  A Singapore study on rehydration in athletes concluded that sports drinks were more effective in rehydrating after exertion than ordinary water.

Other studies add that adjusting the molecular structure of water will aid the body  in more easily absorbing water and result in better hydration. What Therapy tested a device known as the Stirwand for two weeks which is designed to do just that. We found that the water tasted purer with the Stirwand. In terms of hydration levels, it was difficult to recognise any marked differences in two weeks, but clinical studies seem to verify that continuous use over a prolonged period is not only safe but can significantly increase hydration.

For more information, please contact Kathy Dunderdale, who is a Singapore distributor.

Brennan Healing can also support the body throughout chemotherapy or other heavy medication (although it is by no means a substitute). Training is very thorough covering all different aspects of healing as well as the students' own personal transformation and self-awareness. This process takes four years to complete.

Katharina Brunner is one of two Certified Brennan Healing Science Practitioners in Singapore . She is attending the second year of the Advanced Brennan School Program that leads to Brennan Integrative Practitioner (being a group facilitator and guiding students in their process).

Katharina donates all of the proceeds of her healing sessions to Assisi Hospice and Doctors Without Borders.

Katharina kindly offered a complimentary short Brennan healing session to a What Therapy team member. Here is their account of what to expect and what they got out of their session with Katharina:

"I met with Katharina with an open and inquisitive mind and only a very basic knowledge of Brennan Healing Science. After getting to know one another a little, Katharina explained the philosophy behind Brennan and asked me whether there was any particular issue I was struggling with at the moment.

Being in a very good place in my life, I had no particular issues I felt a pressing need to address. The only thing I could think of spontaneously was my enduring, passionate love of chocolate which recently was getting out of hand again and turning into a full-blown addiction. Katharina took me seriously though and I explored what chocolate meant to me and when in my childhood I had started to make certain emotional connections with this and other comforting foods. What followed was a journey into a particular childhood memory that brought up a surprising amount of emotions. This initial part of the session is called the facilitation.

Once I collected myself, we moved to the second part of the healing session, which involves energy healing facilitated by Katharina. This part was highly interesting as I actually felt energy shifting very distinctly in my body. In particular, something I have never felt in any other healing session was a feeling I can only describe as an intensive cleansing at a certain point in my body. I felt a pulling on the right side of my crown area as though the energy was being vacuumed out.

On the whole, the healing session was pleasant and Katharina is a very warm, loving person so it’s easy to open up to her. But in all honesty, I had no expectations of being "cured" from my chocolate addiction.

This session is now two weeks ago. About a week ago, I noticed that I was consistently making healthier food choices when I would normally have opted for a piece of chocolate (shortly followed by the rest of the bar!). I wouldn't say that I have stopped eating chocolate altogether, but somehow I do not have the same daily urge for it and where I previously couldn't stop after a "normal" portion, I now only have a piece or two and that's enough.
I don't know what will happen the next time I hit a crisis, but certainly for now I feel like something has shifted and hope that it will stay that way. If nothing else, Katharina has allowed me to uncover a connection I had previously not been aware of and that in itself was helpful in understanding what I consider to have been a destructive pattern of behaviour in my life. For that I am grateful."

Editor's note: The above is a personal account by an individual of their own experience during a Brennan healing session. As each individual is unique, so is their experience of a healing session. What Therapy encourages its readers to make their own experiences and find out what therapy suits their individual needs best.