May 21 is International Tea Day!
After water, tea is the most consumed drink on earth! International Tea Day raises the awareness of the importance of tea in fighting hunger and poverty, and promotes the sustainable production and consumption of tea.
Tea consumption can benefit health and wellness due to anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and weight loss effects.
Here at GSG, we like to provide treatments that are evidence-based, however we also recognise that there is often great utility in treatments that have a very minimal risk of harm, even if the evidence is a little lacking.
Whilst most teas fall into this category, green tea has been shown to lower blood pressure, cholesterol, aid in weight loss and improve blood glucose levels in people with diabetes. These are particularly important factors in patients with fatty liver disease which is becoming an increasing problem in Australia. Although the evidence is not as robust, Rooibos tea has emerging evidence that the health benefits are similar to that of green tea - it might be worth giving it a try!
Peppermint tea has also been long used as a remedy for irritable bowel syndrome. Whilst this treatment is of little harm, we usually find that people have a far better response to peppermint oil, and there is certainly better evidence behind the use of oil for irritable bowel syndrome.
Chamomile tea has been used for millenia to reduce stress, anxiety and mental health related gastrointestinal disorders. There is promising evidence for the use of chamomile tea in anxiety disorders and who couldn’t use a safe, well tolerated cup of soothing chamomile in the post - COVID era.
You can support people with gastrointestinal conditions through encouraging them to discuss their symptoms with their doctor.
We are also here to help.
A/Prof Chris Mills is a world-class interventional and advanced endoscopist (a gastroenterologist with further specialist training in endoscopy) and is currently the only specialist in Gippsland with this level of training and skill. He is particularly adept at caring for patients with all type of gastrointestinal conditions, and believes that patients should be offered a full gamut of treatments including herbal, complementary and traditional therapies.
To make an appointment please see your GP for a referral, and then contact the GSG rooms on (03) 5630 8800. We are here to help.
Tea’s that may be of benefit in gastrointestinal health that we encourage you to discuss with us at GSG or reach out to your GP:
01 : Green Tea
02 : Rooibos Tea
03 : Peppermint Tea
04 : Chamomile Tea
05 : White Tea
06 : Ginger Tea
07 : Hibiscus Tea
Call our friendly admin team or drop us a line here if you have symptoms and aren’t sure what to do - or talk to your GP!