Interview with Alexandre Fraysse

Feeling super fortunate to share this wonderful interview with Alex Fraysse, a qualified Nutritional Therapist, Herbalist, Iridologist and Naturopath who studied these healing therapies in order to get a deeper understanding of how and why the human body functions the way it does.

I want to thank him for taking the time to sit with us and share much of his deep knowledge to help us through this very challenging time. Please check out his Covid 19 Holistic Facebook Page, with plenty of useful information.

Tell us about yourself Alex

I'm half french and half iranian born and raised in London. I used to work in the banking sector for 4 years as I believed that was what I was meant to do until I had a spiritual awakening in 2012 and understood that my path didn't lie with this way of life, in fact it lied in quite the opposite! I decided to study naturopathy, nutritional therapy, herbal medicine and iridology at the college of naturopathic medicine in London alongside working - I quit the banking industry within a year of studying and then managed an organic juice bar based in soho for 1.5 years. 

Healthy Pillars is my company where I incorporate my belief system in how the body actually works as opposed to working from a disease and symptomatic based model. I focus on a mind, body, spirit and nature approach whilst integrating ancient wisdom into it. Healthy Pillars came to fruition after I became delusional with how other places where I worked were practising and how other people within the field have been practising; it just did not resonate with me and I knew that I was holding myself back from the greater world but most importantly myself. This was the main catalyst in setting this company up. 

Greatest inspirations or influences?

• My greatest influences have been my mentor Peter Jackson-Main, Arnold Ehret, Dr Sebi, Hilton Hotema, Carl Jung, Robert Bly, Le Ciel Foundation, working with plant medicine which has opened me up and taught me more than I could have imagined;

• I now follow an ancient african tradition called Bwiti Tradition which I hold dear to my heart and has taught me many many things about myself and life.

• Nature itself is a great inspiration as she has so much to give when one is willing to receive: she's taught me how to be held, how to hold, how to appreciate beauty, how to go with the flow, how to be at one and at peace - she is the most wonderful teacher. 

Challenges of living holistically pre Corona?

Pre corona the challenges of living holistically are rather simple but also numerous - family influences, family lineage, friends. eating out, abiding by social and group norms, constant media advertising, instagram, personal cravings for food, trauma healing, habit and pattern recognition, being able to be open and vulnerable, working with my inner child, reconnecting with the divine feminine and masculine and uniting them when the world is completely disunited and disjointed and unaware of such subtleties.

Another big challenge has been integrity - I find that integrity is lacking as a whole within society and this is a very unfortunate issue but one that I understand is a tough challenge to imbue in one's daily life due to the amount of responsibility and accountability this places on one's shoulders. 

How do I expect things to change post? I believe the people to have the choice to decide where things will go.

Personally I'm hoping that people realise the importance of community, creating new communities, more equality within social classes but also with women and men with both sexes seeing how important the other is, the way we deal with and treat people (known and unknown), the way education will proceed (I think we will be seeing more things going online and virtual, more open planned and more inspiration less forced education and testing which results in a simple herd mentality as opposed to a creative and ingenious one).

I see the health system changing and incorporating more natural ways to heal the body as both the alternative and modern medicine can work alongside each other as opposed to against each other - this is something I am most excited about! I think our belief systems will be shifting towards being more open, more receptive and therefore more healing as a whole - there will be more space (energetically) and respect between one another, which I'm hoping leads to more of a general state of love and than of fear and distrust. This is something that I can see happening down the line but not immediately.

Alex for people suffering from anxiety due to all the uncertainty, can you share some suggestions?

My tips are always simple but effective. I used herbal medicine, naturopathic techniques, meditation, awareness and nutrition. 

Herbal wise I recommend things such as skullcap, passionflower, wood betony, lemon balm, chamomile, vervain, cordyceps, schisandra, siberian ginseng, rose, ceremonial grade cacao, tulsi, jiagoluan, reishi; for those with lung weakness I recommend thyme, mullein, hyssop and marshmallow root as well as licorice and rhodiola.

Something I always recommend is bitter herbs before a meal to help digestion as when you are anxious you can't digest your food as well meaning you won't absorb any of the nutrients which is no bueno.

Naturopathic wise I advise people to take baths with epsom or dead sea salts with essential oils  (my personal favourite brand is doterra due to their purity), dry skin brushing beforehand to make sure their pores are open and their lymphatic system is moving, hydrotherapy (1min cold, 1 min hot for ten minutes) again for the lymphatic system.

Sticking to morning routine is essential and the first thing that includes making your bed and getting dressed! Grounding/earthing is another big one! Any time you can get out into nature, please place either your hands or feet on the ground, against a tree to connect with mother earth and also to decharge yourself of negative ions which will leave you feeling much calmer!

Meditation I send people my guided meditation which helps them connect to a very special space within themselves and it guides them on what to do. It is a 7 step meditation which guides them through gratitude, forgiveness, compassion, self-respect, self-esteem, self-love and finally unconditional love. Any other type of meditation is wonderful and actually best done in nature, you'll reap far more rewards that way.

Awareness wise, I give them tools to become aware of thought patterns, emotional reactions and how to work through them in the moment to transmute them - they are powerful tools that enable them to have breakthroughs in their patterns. 

Nutrition wise I recommend fresh orange juice with the peel with lemon with the peel and some ginger as it's cold but also a wonderful way to get maximal nutrients and not affect your blood sugar. Other juices such as green juices or smoothies are excellent ideas which I would also recommend. I recommend lots of fibre to make sure that bowels are moving as one of the main meridian points that gets affected by the COVID-19 is the colon which is linked with the lungs. I recommend to people to keep it simple and not indulge (too often at least) in sweets and unhealthy snacks - I give them a way of eating which will keep them full, satisfied and happy. 

I tell people to try to stay away from the news as much as they can as it is just a reinforcement of fear and negativity which will just exacerbate their anxiety through enhancing their fear. Instead of watching the news, watch a comedy, listen to a podcast, do some art, do something that you love and that brings you joy.

Websites and social media handles you follow?

Herbal wise I've mentioned above, but the way that I work is in systems and what the body, mind and spirit require - I formulate my prescriptions that way in order to deliver maximum results! I will say that I do love alterative, nervine, aromatic/carminative and bitter herbs as a group. I really like Matthew Wood for herbs.

• instagram handles": livevitae, the.brain.guy, tommylockward, bengreenfield, hubermanlab, _naturalnourishment, drsebison, amandamadetreats, erika_tangari, quicksilverscientific, biohackingbook, rosaleedelaforet, crushfoster, myself health_pillars of course.

How are you handling Covid 19?

So what I did with this situation was to make sure I had all the herbs and vitamins that I needed to ensure that my immune system would be strong. I had 80% of the things I needed as I take them regularly and then the other 20% is to double down on the immune safety. I have cordyceps, chaga, pine pollen, echinacea, elderflower, rhodiola, vitamin C liposomal, a lymphatic immune boosting tea, a nervine tea (calms and keep my nervous system normal allowing me to better fight off anything), tulsi and jiagoluan tea (to keep me calm and focused whilst giving me strength), oranges, lemons and ginger juiced every day for 7 days in the beginning of the lockdown, vitamin D 5000IU, B12, Liver support herbs.

Stay away from processed foods - fresh produce and ancient grains are my best friend and will be yours too. I also made a conscious choice to remain calm throughout this process and get what I need without it affecting those that may need it more. There will always be enough for everyone, people just need to realise that and break away from their sense of lack and sole survival - we are stronger together than we are separate, I hope people will realise that in this current issue we are facing.

Now I am currently on a day 10 water fast as it will help to reset my body and immune system and I will be stronger than ever once I come out of it. I would recommend 4 days of water fasting for people to help reboot their immune system, get some herbs (the ones I have listed above are great, I would add schisandra and siberian ginseng to that mix) to get liposomal vitamin C and take 2000mg every day as maintenance in these times, B complex to support the overall system. Meditation (30mins - 1hr per day it's ok to break it up into slots), getting a part of your body on the earth and connecting to pachamama, watching your thoughts, words and actions and see how they in turn affect you but those around you, create a community support network so that you don't feel alone (feeling alone is one of the greatest causes of deaths, particularly in the elderly), watch comedies, make yourself laugh, be creative, do that one course you wanted to do but had not time to do (you've got all the time now).

What is your greatest passion?

My greatest passion is being able to be of service in any way and the way that I am currently doing this is through 1-1 sessions, helping certain organisations with their greater missions for the world, and through the use of the plant kingdom - I am in the process of creating a herbal based company and working with a friend on her raw vegan treats brand Amanda Made (she's a genius with what she does). 

I plan on essentially owning myself, my power, my abilities and what it is I am here to do on this earth in this lifetime. I believe now is the perfect time for me to do such things as more people with my skill set are being asked to come forward out of the shadows and into the light and I know that I am ready to do so after 7 years of introspection, spiritual work, and real life work. This is just the beginning.