Alla Svirinskaya reveals her energy secrets

The Luxury Channel talks to Dr Alla who advises us on how to indulge in 'intelligent luxury' by shifting our focus from material goods to personal wellbeing.

With reams of celebrity clients and an eight-month waiting list, it's just as well for us that wellness consultant Alla Svirinskaya has opted to share her knowledge in a new book "Energy Secrets: The Ultimate Well-being Plan". In it she reveals the wisdom of healing practises from around the world, including traditional methods from her Russian heritage. And, as Harpers & Queen have noted, 'her famous and famously sceptical patients are a healthy testimony to her extraordinary powers.'

When people talk about luxury today, they often talk about health, energy and time for themselves. Have you noticed this shift?

I think that this decade is going to be about 'Intelligent Luxury.' People understand how easy it is to lose external things. Suddenly they are stripped of their work titles and bonuses and they are like lost children coming to see me because they do not know who they are anymore.

Many people have suffered a huge identity crisis. This decade is going to be about really looking inwards and giving yourself a meaningful life and effective coping mechanisms. Hopefully, people will stop putting an over-exaggerated importance into external stuff.

Why do so many of us have so little energy?

We expect very little from ourselves, so when people come to me and say I have little energy but I am 40 so it's understandable - you see that people put very low limits to how they should feel. It relates to the way we programme ourselves so that at a certain age we must feel lethargic, or it's okay that we are overweight, or feel sluggish. We need to let go of these poor expectations. Our energy does not have to go down with age. It is okay to look after yourself; you should not feel guilty about your personal wellness.

Alla's Top Tips:

• The very first principle of good energy is healthy energy. If your energy is healthy, not only will your body be healthy but your life will be too.
• Orange is a colour that inspires a whole host of positive feelings, so add a dash of orange to your wardrobe - a scarf, tie, belt or wrap for example.

Many of us seem to have an inbuilt sabotage mentality. We work to the detriment of our health, smoke or drink. What does that mean for you as a healer?

It is very difficult to treat people when they have the sabotage mentality because they get used to blame. People hide behind their problems. So as a result in one hand they want to be better (or stronger) because of course they want to be healthy, but on the subliminal level they still want that cushioning, that refuge, to blame the problem.

I help my clients break away from that mentality and accept that they are sabotaging things. I tell my patients it is always three of us: You, your problem and me. We have to work as a team.

You cannot buy health it is very much a work in progress…

With health the consumer mentality does not work. If you want a new bag you go to Louis Vuitton and you buy it for yourself. In terms of your health it is not enough to give money and say fix it for me. You must take responsibility.

What about nutrition as a source of energy?

Many of the vitamins that are available to buy have an incredibly poor absorbency rate. Vitamins should be obtained through the food you eat. However, you have to learn how to cook food properly so that you don't destroy these vitamins. Again, people spend a lot of money on organic food, good produce but then they do not cook it properly and therefore ruin the whole purpose. My book explains how to prepare food so that you do not destroy its goodness. I am a big fan of sprouts. Add sprouts in your salads. It is a really good thing. Sprouted seeds have the most incredible concentration of enzymes and proteins, vitamins. They are amazing and contain the energy of life!

Another important lesson is not to demonise food. A lot of people have this incredible fear of food. It is okay to have junk sometimes. But make sure you choose a good quality junk! So if you want to have chocolate buy organic, Green & Black 70% Coco and have it. If you want crisps get oven baked good quality crisps. If you want butter get yourself the real stuff. Put good quality fuel into your system because if you put rubbish in you are not going to have good energy from it. We are more precious about what type of petrol we put into our nice car than in our body.

Alla's Top Tips:

• Beans and pulses are excellent energy-givers, especially when sprouted.
• Nuts and seeds provide protein and micronutrients.
• Don't overload your system with meat, although a little lean organic meat is fine in moderation (although not when detoxing).
• Fish is a great source of vitamins and minerals - just make sure it comes from non-polluted waters.
• Use cold-pressed olive oil for cooking, and cold-pressed walnut or linseed oil for dressings.
• Almond or rice milk is a good alternative to dairy products.
• Don't demonise food - have a little of what you fancy. Just chose the best quality and purest you can.

Avoid:

• Salt: it raises the blood pressure and stresses the kidneys
• Processed 'white' grains in bread, pasta and rice - they cause spikes in blood sugar.
• Dairy products and non-fermented soya milk products
• Excessive alcohol

Stress can cause a build up of acid in the body. You talk about the importance of maintaining the correct PH balance in your book. Can you tell me more about this?

It is very important to be more alkaline than acidic. When you produce too much adrenaline in the body it makes you very acidic. Viruses and bacteria, fungus thrives in acid. This is a new focus for a lot of clinics (see Nosh Food's alkalising diet). This is very important for your energy levels.

You are a fifth-generation healer, medically trained. How would you describe your complimentary approach?

I am pro a complimentary approach to medicine and take the best from both worlds. I have travelled the world, I have studied with different teachers, I have been very privileged to live in different countries and to absorb a variety of ways of looking at disease and health. Orthodox medicine can be supported by more personalised alternative remedies.

The personality should be made relevant when trying to cure someone. That is the beauty of alternative remedies over orthodox medicine. For example with healing, I do not allow the patient to go towards the victim mentality; the diagnoses should not be stronger than your own energy. When you are trying to deal with anything whether it be work or health you should never go to the victim mentality. It's defeatist.

You discuss the secret tools for successful detoxing in your book. What advice would you give someone who is about to start a detox programme?

Detoxing is an important practise. Intuition is the first thing to leave the body when you are toxic. And yet intuition is vital for health and energy. It is for this reason that my book begins with a variety of detox programmes. You have to be pure and then you can understand this job is right for me, the man is right for me or I should not drink, it does not agree with me.

However, people should not go to extremes. The body does not like extreme measures and it is only a temporary allusion.

Alla's Top Tips:

• Skin brushing and warm hydrotherapy, such as saunas, steams and at-home bath treatments, is a great preparation for a deep detox.
• Clay can be used in many ways to detox the digestive system, support the immune system, fight free radicals, detox the liver and alkalinise the body.
• Use meditation and visualisation to cleanse the mind

What does it mean to be a fifth generation Russian healer?

I work hard not to create dependent disciples. I don't like it when people put me on a pedestal. My job is to connect people to their core, to their essence. For years I went through hours of working and seeing patients continuously. I could not rest due to my need to help people. Moreover, I currently have an eight-month waiting list and cannot really accommodate new clients. As a result, I wrote the book 'Energy Secrets The Ultimate Well Being Plan.' People can now read this book around the world.

The Luxury Channel