Articles on Digestion
Acne Rosacea
You're not a teenager any more so you think all those skin problems you had when you were young are behind you forever. Then you wake up one morning, look in the mirror and discover that your nose and face are red and you have bumps under your skin. What's going on?
It's adult acne, called Acne Rosacea, and it affects about 10 to 20 per cent of the population. With this form of acne you won't suffer from whiteheads or blackheads. What happens instead is that the capillaries near the surface of the skin open up and create bumps and red blotchy areas. In some cases the skin thickens in this area.
It certainly isn't an attractive condition and for that reason it's not surprising that people want quick relief. Acne Rosacea affects women aged 30 to 50 three times more often than men but when it does affect men it's usually more severe.
We're not absolutely sure what causes it although we have some theories. Menopausal changes can make it worse, as can local infections, B vitamin deficiencies, alcoholism, and gastro-intestinal disorders.
Many Acne Rosacea patients have low stomach acid and if that's the cause it can be treated quickly and effectively with digestive enzymes. Large doses of B vitamins with an emphasis on riboflavin can help. Avoiding extreme temperatures can help, especially heat. Baths and showers should be warm, not hot. Saunas and hot tubs should be avoided.
If you have Acne Rosacea you should also watch your diet. Avoid hot, spicy foods that may dilate the blood vessels. Avoid coffee, alcohol, and hot beverages. As with all kinds of acne, reduce your sugar and fat consumption, especially saturated fats.
There is a little skin mite called Denodex Folliclorum that has been considered a factor in Acne Rosacea. It lives on our skin quite harmlessly but it is found in higher concentration in people who have this condition. There is a topical antibiotic that is sometimes useful in curing this condition. Conventional treatment prescribes low doses of antibiotics for as long as three years. They do decrease the inflammation of the skin but they also have side effects. They can lead to an overgrowth of yeast in the body and the body can become used to the antibiotics and become resistant to them.
The best treatment for Acne Rosacea consists of changing your diet, more B vitamins, and digestive enzymes.
Aspartame
The side effects of aspartame have not been well documented. I encountered my first case of aspartame poisoning 15 year ago when an RCMP officer came into my office. She was very healthy but very bloated. She told me that she drank four glasses of diet soda every day while on duty. She felt terrible - and all I needed to do to make her feel better was to get rid of the aspartame and put her on a detox diet.
Most studies that have been done on aspartame continue to be funded by the industry so they are biased. Of the 92 independently funded articles on aspartame, 84 have identified adverse health effects.
So, why, when we know something is so bad for us, does it continue to be promoted? Well, one reason is that in Washington, the manufactures of aspartame pay a very large sum to very many lobbyists to keep promoting it. They also say there is no viable alternative in artificial sweeteners - and we want our artificial sweet on demand. In Japan, Stevia is used rather than aspartame and Stevia raises the blood sugar only slightly so it can be used as a "diet drink" more safely.
There's been a rekindling of the aspartame debate following the results of a seven-year study by Dr. Mornado Soffritti, a cancer researcher in Italy. Soffritti's research has shown that consumption of aspartame is associated with unusually high rates of lymphomas, leukemias and other cancers. The research was conducted on over 1,900 rats who were given dosages starting at what would be the equivalent of four to five 20-ounce bottles of diet sodas a day for a 150 pound person.
Aspartame, commonly sold under the trade name NutraSweet and Equal, is consumed by hundreds of millions of people every day. Needless to say the study prompted a flurry of criticism from the Calorie Control Council, a trade organization that supports the artificial sweetener industry. The US FDA and its equivalent in Europe are examining the results but state that there is no need for people to avoid aspartame.
Aspartame has been consumed for decades based on a safety record culled largely from cancer studies conducted in the 1970s by G.D. Searle, a company with a vested interest in its safety. But inadequacies in and critical examination of those studies led Soffritti to re-open the case.
Politics also played a role. Amidst allegations that Searle had concealed facts and made false statements based on the safety of aspartame, the US Justice Department, called for a Grand Jury investigation in the mid 70s. But that never occurred. And despite initial skepticism to approve aspartame, a second study (conducted by and paid for by Searle) prompted Reagan-appointee Arthur Hull Hayes to approve aspartame. Hayes left the FDA a year later to work as a consultant for Searle's PR firm.
If you still insist on drinking diet sodas or using aspartame, all I can say is, "buyer beware!"
Caffeine
We have these two madly conflicting images of our West Coast lifestyle. We're surrounded by glorious, accessible nature that we get out into to kayak, ski, sail, hike and jog. And then there's coffee: we drink more of it than many other areas in the world. Seattle is the legendary home of Starbucks and more different ways to ingest caffeine than most Easterners can imagine.
We love that cup of coffee and one a day is just fine. It's got great flavour and it should be enjoyed. But if you drink more than one cup of coffee a day, the good effects are short lived and the side effects set in.
The intensity of a person's response to caffeine varies with the individual. Of course caffeine comes in many forms: coffee, green or black tea, soft drinks and chocolate.
Ironically, many of us drink coffee or tea to relax. We like to sit down and take a break - it’s a ritual. But what we're doing when we drink more than one cup a day is masking symptoms of tiredness. And eventually, overuse of coffee will actually cause symptoms of tiredness. In other words, it becomes a self-perpetuating cycle.
I have patents who come to me and tell me that coffee is their only pleasure. I tell them they need to find other pleasures in their lives.
I had a patient whose major symptoms were headaches and gastritis - and he was drinking six cups of coffee a day.
Coffee is a major cause of stomach upset and insomnia.
A businesswoman who worked long hours and drank four cups of coffee a day came in with headaches and feelings of exhaustion.
For both patients, eliminating coffee made a difference in their lives.
Coffee makes many people anxious. One cup can contribute to anxiety and more than one cup can cause it. Coffee also causes depression. Studies with university students showed that medium and high coffee drinkers scored much higher on a depression scale.
Caffeine is well indicated in pre-menstrual syndrome and in breast cysts. Fifty per cent of breast cysts disappear when you eliminate caffeine from the diet. Caffeine overstimulates the production of cellular products like fibrous tissues and cyst fluid.
Caffeine is an irritant. If you have a lot of bladder infections, caffeine may be one of the causes. We tend to forget that what goes in through our mouths comes out through our bladders.
Caffeine produces a negative calcium balance in the body and that's important information for women who are trying to increase calcium to prevent the onset of osteoporosis.
Caffeine works in the body by stimulating the adrenal glands. We need adrenaline for our fight or flight response but too much adrenaline will cause nervousness, increased heart rate, nausea, irritability and insomnia. In children, caffeine from soft drinks and chocolate causes hyperactivity, restlessness and poor concentration.
There are some people, myself included, who are very sensitive - even a cup of decaf can be too much.
If you want to decrease your caffeine consumption, do it slowly to prevent the unpleasant withdrawal effects of headaches -% cup of coffee or one cup of tea at a time. If you switch to decaf, make sure you buy Swiss water process decaf. Other methods of decaffeinating use dangerous chemicals that are toxic.
What to drink instead? How about herbal teas and good old-fashioned water? And really, one cup of coffee a day is just fine.
Candida Part 1
There's a fungus among us and it's called Candida. I've written about it before and I've decided to write an update on it because of the large number of requests for more on the subject and because of the tremendous response the subject received previously.
I estimate that 50 per cent of my patients have a Candida overgrowth. It's a common complaint in people who don't feel well. It's a condition that's widespread but often overlooked by conventional medicine because its symptoms closely mimic so many other conditions.
I recently diagnosed Karen with Candida. Her case was fairly typical. She had not been feeling well for many years. She had had many full physicals with blood work and nothing showed up. It had even been intimated that it was all in her head. Her symptoms included fatigue, mild depressions, lack of concentration, bloating after eating and itchy skin. She noticed she was becoming more and more allergic to perfumes, gas, and chemicals. Her diagnosis is systemic yeast or Candida.
What is Candida? A small amount of yeast or Candida is normal. It grows in the intestinal tract from the mouth to the anus. When it overgrows it can produce many foreign substances and toxins, which can damage local cells as well as attack other organs and tissues at distant sites. In addition to the bowel and the vagina the nervous system is a prime target. Candida overgrowth also causes various skin rashes, bladder infections, respiratory infections, and inflammations or infections of the female organs.
In a healthy person with a strong immune system this fungus is kept in check by the good bacteria in the gut.
What causes Candida to overgrow? The big culprit is antibiotics. Antibiotics are a two-edged sword. While they do kill disease-producing bacteria, the also kill off the friendly intestinal and vaginal bacteria. Other causes of this condition are too much sugar in the diet, stress, indigestion drugs, and food allergies. Any of these factors can decrease the friendly bacteria, leaving room for the Candida to multiply.
When Candida overgrows it changes form and penetrates the lining of the intestine. When this occurs minute holes open up in the intestines causing food wastes and toxins to reenter the bloodstream. This has sometimes been referred to as "leaky gut syndrome."
When toxins reenter the blood the immune system is mobilized to fight them off. The immune system can become severely strained as a result.
The symptoms of Candida can include gastro-intestinal problems, diarrhea, heartburn, bloating, fatigue, itchiness on the body, repeated infections from a low immune system and mild depressions.
Candida is diagnosed by various methods. The ones I use in the office most often are a screening test on the Vega machine and a comprehensive Candida questionnaire. It can also be diagnosed by a blood test.
In my next article I will talk about treatments that will rebalance your system. For a free questionnaire or a free screening on the Vega machine please call my office.
Candida Part 2
Two weeks ago I described the condition known as Candida. To recap, Candida is a systemic fungal growth found in the body. When it overgrows it can cause many symptoms such as fatigue, gastro-intestinal problems, itchiness on the body and a lowered immune system.
It may also be one of the culprits involved in such conditions as bladder infections, respiratory infections or infections of the female organs.
The treatment of Candida involves four approaches:
- The removal of agents that may have caused the condition
- Strengthening the immune system to fight the condition
- Killing back the yeast
- Re-colonizing the gut with friendly bacteria
To fight infections you should decrease our use of antibiotics and increase your uses of herbal remedies and homeopathics. Save the use of antibiotics for times when they are absolutely necessary and work with a naturopathic physician to strengthen your immune system so that you have fewer and fewer infections.
When you do take antibiotics also take acidophilus for three weeks after the course of the antibiotics to help re-colonize your gut with friendly bacteria. If you’re a woman look for natural treatments for birth control and menopause so that you can decrease your use of estrogen.
When treating Candida, diet is 50 per cent of the treatment; supplements are the other 50 per cent. The first thing to eliminate from your diet is sugar and that includes juice, honey and all sweets. Limit your intake of fruit to two pieces a day. Decrease your yeast intake. Eat yeast-free or sourdough breads. Local bakeries sell great sourdough bread. Reduce your intake of fermented products like alcohol and vinegar; try making you salad dressing with lemon or lime juice. Also lower you intake of vinegar rich condiments like mustard and soy sauce. Mushrooms are a fungus so stay away from them; peanuts are a legume grown under the ground and often carry a fungus. If you know that you have food sensitivities, reduce those foods to ease the load on you gut and help it to heal.
You can use a yeast killer like grapefruit seed extract and oregano oil. In conjunction with a yeast free diet, these will decrease the amount of yeast in your body and prepare the way for re-colonization of the gut.
When you have the three to four pounds of good bacteria back in your body, it will hold the yeast in check. The two most common friendly bacteria are acidophilus for the small intestine and bifidus for the large intestine.
A strong garlic pill is often added to the regime to help decease the yeast. Other things that might be added are digestive enzymes, which help pre-digest your food and take some of the load off your gut so it can heal. A liver cleanse is also useful. The liver is a major organ of detoxification. As the yeast dies off the byproducts are processed through the liver so it's important to optimize liver function. This can be done with herbs like milk thistle and dandelion.
This healing regime can take from three to six months. Remember that it took years for your body to become unbalanced so it does take time to rebalance the system. If you have been feeling unwell for a long period of time do take this information seriously and come in for a free Candida screening test or a free diagnostic questionnaire.
One last note: make sure your treatment is monitored by a health care professional. A common mistake is to stop treatment too soon. A health professional can work with you to decide the length of treatment.
Constipation
A month ago, a 70-year-old patient walked into my office complaining of chronic constipation. Many of my older patients have this problem.
As a society it's a subject we don’t want to talk about but it affects over one million people in Canada. Canadians spend more than $5 million annually on laxatives - so it is a very real problem.
There are some diseases that cause constipation. These should always be addressed first. They are low thyroid, pituitary disorders, elevated calcium levels and irritable bowel syndrome. Also, too many antacids, diuretics, muscle relaxants or chronic misuse of laxatives can add to the problem.
Food sensitivities can also cause constipation. Dairy is often the big culprit. So check your diet for food sensitivities.
The elimination of waste from the body is important for the digestion. The colon is not involved in the digestive process to any great extent but it does absorb water and different salts. The colon's primary function is to provide temporary storage for waste and to form stools.
The health of the colon is largely determined by what you eat and the amount of fibre in your diet. Laxatives are not the answer to constipation. We need to find out the cause.
There can be many causes. First and foremost is the diet. A highly refined, low fibre diet will naturally cause constipation. Fibre is the substance in food that helps to bulk up the stool and assist it's passage through the colon.
Highly refined, low fibre foods are all the white flour foods we eat such as white pasta, white bread and white rice. Change your diet to a high fibre diet by eating foods made of unrefined grains like whole wheat bread, whole-wheat pasta and brown rice.
If you increase the fibre in your diet, you will increase the frequency and quantity of your bowel movements. Other useful additions to your diet are oat bran, wheat bran and prunes. Prunes are an age-old remedy used to relieve the distress of constipation. One Tbsp. of psyllium seeds or 2 Tbsps of ground flaxseed per day will also add fibre.
Lack of water is another cause of constipation. One of the major functions of the colon is to reabsorb water. If you are dehydrated, the colon will reabsorb more water from your food and cause harder stools.
Make sure you drink at least 6-8 glasses of non-caffeinated liquid a day. Water and herbal teas are great. Caffeinated liquids don't count because they have a diuretic effect.
Exercise is also very important. We often forget about exercise as a treatment for constipation but it actually jiggles the bowels. It tones them and ensures they will function optimally. So exercise isn't just good for the heart or for weight loss, it can also help to relieve your constipation.
Stress is also a big factor in constipation. When we are under stress many of us tend to hold our emotions in our digestive system rather than letting them vent. We can get ulcers or heartburn or constipation. I see it all the time. People tell me "I was fine and then this situation happened and now I have this bout of constipation."
So look at how you can simplify your life. What can you do about the sources of stress in your life? Practice deep abdominal breathing for five minutes three times a day. When you are breathing through the lower area of your body you relax that area and the tension will leave the bowel.
If you have been constipated for a long time you may need to retrain your bowels. If you have used laxatives for a long time you may have to wean yourself away from them. A good way to do that is to switch to the natural laxatives like cascara or senna. Take just enough of those substances to ensure a daily bowel movement for one week. Then in week two decrease the dosage by half. Do this over a six-week period to wean yourself away from them.
Do natural methods work? They did for my 70-year-old patient. After a few months of natural treatments, her constipation was eliminated.
Digestion Part 1
Today I'm starting a series on digestion. Fifty per cent of the patients who come to see me have digestive complaints and I'm always amazed that billions of dollars are being spent annually on digestive aids and antacids in Canada alone. Iím going to start at the very beginning with a digestive anatomy primer.
The old saying that we are what we eat should be modified to - We are what we digest. The main function of digestion is to break down the food we eat and absorb its nutrients. Our digestive system is astounding. All the food we ingest would go to waste if we didn't digest our food properly.
The digestive system is comprised of a 30-foot tube from the mouth to the anus. The parts are the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine. The organs attached to the system are the salivary glands, liver, gall balder and pancreas. In order to digest food, it needs to go through this tube, be absorbed and then eliminated.
Let's start at the mouth. When we chew our food well it is broken down by the teeth and the enzymes in the saliva. It's important to slow down when you're eating and chew your food well. The food is lubricated by the mucous membrane and is pushed down the 10-inch oesophagus by muscle action.
A valve opens into the stomach, which is like a blender, churning and liquefying the food. The food stays in the stomach for one to four hours and contrary to belief, very little absorption is done in the stomach. The stomach is filled with hydrochloric acid and other enzymes with an acidic PH of 1.5, which enables it to do its duty of killing viruses, bacteria and other foreign objects that enter it.
Another valve controls the passage of food into the small intestine, a 21-foot tube that secretes a variety of digestive and protective substances and receives the secretions of the pancreas, liver and gall bladder.
The pancreas alkalizes the stomach acid, regulates blood sugar levels and produces digestive enzymes. The liver produces 50 per cent of the cholesterol we need. (We obtain the other 50 per cent from our food). The gall bladder concentrates the bile of the liver whose function is to break fat up into small pieces for easier digestion and to further neutralize stomach acid.
The colon is the last stage of digestion where 90 per cent of absorption takes place. Itís main function is to facilitate the absorption of nutrient and liquid back into the body. This entire digestive tube is lined with a mucous membrane, which is an important part of the immune system because it stops undigested particles and toxins from entering the bloodstream. The mucous produced by the membrane is very viscous and slippery to help the passage of food down the tract.
The digestive system is truly an integrated structure. If there is a disturbance at one point it can affect any other point, even if it's 20 feet from the upset. In the next few articles weíll explore how dysfunction occurs in these areas and what you can do to cure problems such as indigestion, irritable bowel and so on.
Digestion Part 2
This is part 2 of my "Digestive Primer" and I'm going to start with the mouth. The mouthís function is to chew food and to produce the enzymes that start the digestive process. It's very important to chew well. If your chewing is poor because of problems with your teeth, see what you can do to fix them. The mechanical breakdown of the food is very important. The food has to be in smaller particles when it enters the stomach so that proper digestion can take place.
We also need to chew slowly so that the enzymes have enough time to react with the food before it travels farther on its journey. The most common mouth complaint is canker sores. These affect 20 per cent of the population. They are the body's way of letting you know that something is not right farther down in the system. You can see and feel the sores in your mouth but there may be sores farther down that aren't visible.
The most common causes of canker sores are food sensitivities or allergens, stress and nutritional deficiencies. Biopsies of canker sores have shown an unusually high level of allergic white blood cells. Other than food, allergens can be chemicals such as benzoic acid, ascorbic acid or aspartame.
An elimination diet or Vega food sensitivity testing can help to identify the culprit. You can contact our office for more information on this.
Of all the food allergens that cause canker sores, gluten is the most common. Since the digestive system only operates while it is in a relaxed state, prolonged stress can be a factor in canker sores. I strongly suggest short sessions of abdominal breathing during the day to help relax the whole digestive system. Listening to stress reduction tapes also helps as does shifting your attitude. Many people in this culture are addicted to stress and to long hours of work. See what you can do to give yourself space to relax each day.
Studies have also shown that nutritional deficiencies can play a part in the formation of canker sores, especially the B vitamins. One herb that has a wonderful effect on the lining anywhere in the digestive tract is deglycyrrhizinated liquorice root. Chewable tablets are best take two about 20 minutes before eating.
To recap: canker sores are the body's way of speaking to you about some kind of imbalance and it can be cured. The solution is to remove all your food allergens, reduce your stress and taking a high potency multi-vitamin to correct any possible B deficiency.
Digestion Part 3
Continuing today with our series on digestion, we move down the digestive tract. Ss we enter the esophagus and stomach area, the most common digestive complains I see are indigestion and acid reflux.
I would estimate that 50 per cent of the patients who come to see me complain of digestive problems. In North America antacids are a multi billion dollar business. If you have heartburn or indigestion, it didn't just occur overnight it takes years and years of eating poorly and experiencing too much stress to bring these conditions about.
When we eat a meal we should feel good but many people don't. Instead, they feel discomfort and pop an antacid pill to make the pain go away. The symptoms of heartburn and indigestion are a fullness of the stomach, gas or possibly pain either in the mid-chest or the stomach area. You may bloat after eating or perhaps you just don't feel good.
These symptoms can have a variety of causes. It could be poor eating habits like nibbling during the day and then having one big meal at night; it could be that you don't have enough digestive enzymes because as we age, our bodies produce fewer of them; it could be food allergies or it could be stress.
If the heartburn is chronic, it may be a hiatus hernia, which is an outpooching of the stomach above the diaphragm where the stomach actually goes through the valve and into the esophagus area. Antacids work and are the common treatment for heartburn but they also have many, many disadvantages.
The normal stomach pH is 1.5 to 2.5 and it's within that range for a good reason. The stomach is the first line of defense against harmful bacteria in our food and is the major organ of digestion. If you raise the pH of the stomach with antacids, you're going to have poor digestion of proteins and your immune system defenses will be lowered. It also sets up your stomach for overgrowths of bacteria like helicobacter pylori, which causes ulcers.
As a naturopathic physician I look for the cause of heartburn and indigestion rather than just treat the symptoms - and there are many ways of treating these symptoms.
To treat the cause you should eat smaller meals and lower your consumption of fats, sugars, and caffeine, especially caffeine. More than one cup of coffee can cause heartburn and for some even that one cup can cause stomach distress. Find out if you're sensitive to any foods. You may need to take digestive enzymes, which help by pre-digesting your food and taking the load off the stomach and liver.
A herb that's excellent for digestive healing is deglycyrrhizinated licorice root. It increases the quality and quantity of the protective substances that line the intestinal tract. It improves the blood supply to the intestinal tract as well as soothing the tissues. Licorice root is contraindicated in people with high blood pressure but when it's deglycyrrhizinated those side effects are nullified.
These are all good physical fixes but you can't talk about indigestion without addressing stress. Some people hold stress in their stomach area. When your body is stressed, your sympathetic nervous system is on overload and the first thing it does is shut down the digestive system. All your energy and blood is going to go to your muscles and brain in preparation for fight or flight.
If you want a healthy digestive system, you have to practice stress reduction techniques a few times a day. Deep, abdominal breathing is terrific for relaxing that area and allowing the digestive process to begin.
Indigestion and heartburn are symptomatic of how you're eating and what you're eating. It can be cured.
Digestion Part 4
As we continue with our series on digestion, I believe that food sensitivities merit a complete column on their own.
I'm always surprised at how many of my patients have some sort of food allergy or sensitivity as part of their health profile. Dr. James Breneman, a well-known allergist, writes, "The incidence of diet-related problems is greater than the incidence of any other kind of illness affecting humankind."
He estimates that 60 - 80 per cent of the population has unknown food allergies or intolerances. My clinical experiences concur with his opinion. Many people are surprised that their symptoms are allergy related. They say, 'I don't have an allergen', and are then pleasantly surprised at how much better they feel when they eliminate a particular food from their diet.
It is important that people increase their awareness of the scope of allergy as a possible cause of illness. Any symptom can be caused by allergens. The most common are skin conditions, ear or nose problems, arthritis, digestive problems, both acute and chronic inflammations, mood disorders, sleep disturbances, confusion and fatigue.
There are a few ways to test for allergens. In our office I have used a German scientific machine called a Vega machine to test for food allergens. But another way to test your body to see if there is an allergen is to try what I call the 'no fun diet' for five days. If at the end of five days you feel better and/or some symptoms decrease, then youíll need to do more testing to find which of the omitted foods is the suspect allergen.
Here it is: the allowed food list for five days: brown rice in any form such as bread crackers and pasta, all vegetables (unless you know you have an allergy to a certain one), fruit (limit to two a day), fish of any kind, extra virgin olive oil and any kind of green herb (oregano, basil, etc.).
If you know that you have an allergy to any of these, you'll naturally want to eliminate it. If the food is not on this list, don't eat it for five days. If at the end of five days you donít feel any better, you've ruled out food allergies as a causative factor for your condition. However, if you do feel better, re-introduce foods one at a time. For example, have two eggs one day and see if you feel okay. If you do, perhaps add chicken the next day and so on. If you felt good on the five-day 'no fun diet' and you start re-introducing foods and start feeling worse, go backwards - start to eliminate again.
The idea behind this method is to use your body as a scientific subject. When you don't feel well, what is it? What is the particular food that is making you feel worse?
If you have food allergies or sensitivities, then work with a naturopathic physician to diagnose the allergen and help you decrease your allergic profile.
Digestion Part 5 (Constipation)
It's normal to have a good bowel movement every day. The major causes of constipation are poor diet and not enough fibre found in whole grains and vegetables. Many of us have food allergies. Some of us don't get enough exercise and some of us are just under too much stress. All of these are factors in constipation. The hormonal cycle can also affect the bowel in some women.
Constipation can cause headaches, distension and fatigue, and there's a correlation between poor bowel movements and inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and irritable bowel.
First find out if you have an allergy. Dairy and wheat are the biggest ones. Your diet should consist of 50 per cent vegetables and fruit. Get rid of the whites - white flour, white rice, and white pasta. Use only brown rice, whole grain bread, and whole grain pasta (assuming you are not wheat sensitive).
Stress also plays a major role in bowel malfunction. The three major ways to get rid of stress are through deep, abdominal breathing, exercise, and sometimes attitudinal changes to stressful situations. Exercise has another beneficial effect. It mechanically jiggles the bowel and that helps keep the bowel healthy.
Liquids are also important. One of the major functions of the colon is to absorb the liquid the body needs. If youíre not getting enough liquids and you are dehydrated the colon will take more water out of the food you eat and your stools will become hard and difficult to pass. We need at least eight glasses of water and herbal tea a day.
There is a belief that natural laxatives are okay. That's not true. Cascara and senna are just as addictive as any other laxative and long term use of any laxative slows down the normal functioning of the bowel and then you become dependent on them. However, adding fibre to your diet is useful. Ground flax seed and psyllium husks are the two most common.
Drink lots of water and use prune juice if necessary. Vitamin C in large doses can have a laxative effect (3,000 mgs a day in divided doses). Magnesium can be an effective laxative (up to 800 mgs a day). Flax oil - 6,000 mgs a day - can also help.
The liver is the major organ of digestion and so a liver cleanse and strengthener will help to regulate the whole system.
Naturopathic treatments may take longer and require more effort but in the long run they work much better for long term relief.
Digestion Part 6 (IBS)
Today I am continuing our digestion series by writing about irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which affects a great percentage of the population. Fully 30 - 50 per cent of all referrals to a gastroenterologist are for IBS. It is often diagnosed by cramps in the lower abdomen, diarrhea, constipation, gas or bloating. Some people may actually limit their day-to-day movements according to the location of the nearest toilet.
First we need to determine if you have a food sensitivity. Many people say they have none but symptoms may take as much as a day or two to show up and the effect may be cumulative. You may have a wheat allergy but nothing happens the first time you ingest it. However, if you have wheat every day for a week you may have diarrhea at the end of that time.
All symptoms can disappear when certain foods are eliminated. In my practice I have found that the major food allergens that affect the bowel are wheat, all foods containing gluten, dairy, nuts and citrus. In addition to food sensitivities, food triggers such as caffeine, sorbital, alcohol, aspertane and various drugs can also cause problems.
Step two is to rule out yeast overgrowth in the gut, which alters the health of the colon. If the yeast is overgrown, a Candida cleanse is important. Adding fibre such as ground flax or psyllium seeds can help to relieve the symptoms of constipation or diarrhea.
Other supplements are also important. Naturopathic physicians have been using a herbal combination called Robert's Formula for many decades. It contains many herbs including slippery elm and marshmallow extract, which help to soothe the irritation of the gut. Probiotics are important to recolonize the gut's flora, which have surely been altered by the changed bowel movements. The basics are also important such as good multi and omega 3 vitamins because most likely absorption of nutrients from food as been impeded.
Then there's stress. Our gut operates well in the relaxed or para-sympathetic state. Some people hold their tension in their gut so it's very important to learn to do deep or abdominal breathing to relax this area.
Exercise is important for reducing stress and helping the muscles to relax. A relaxation tape can also help. Biofeedback can also be useful. We also need change our attitudes toward stressful situations and perhaps work with a professional to do that.
Digestion Part 7 (The Aging GI Tract)
Aging takes its toll on the GI tract. Aging muscles, including digestive muscles, contract more slowly, take more time to relax and move their contents along at a more leisurely pace. However, many of the aging GI processes can be prevented or corrected.
Changes begin in the mouth where the number of taste buds and their sensitivity begin to decline . Chewing muscles may begin to weaken. As a result some people lose their interest in food, lose weight and develop insufficiencies. Losing teeth may also reduce an interest in food so good dental care is a must.
Moving to the esophagus - swallowing can be more difficult. Such problems are usually the result of neurological disorders. Some may experience a weakening in the muscles of the esophagus and can't swallow as well. The big problem, however, is acid reflux, which is the result of the decline of esophageal contractions with symptoms of pain and heartburn. Possible causes of acid reflux are the holding of stress in the gut and/or food sensitivities.
Getting down to the stomach and duodenum - the stomach continues to make acid but in many older people the production declines due to years of carrying helicobacter pylori. Treatment of helicobacter pylori is necessary.
Tension is also stored in the stomach so deep breathing is important. A digestive enzyme to replace declining acidity also helps. It's important to have good stomach acid because it's the first line of defence of the immune system. High stomach acid kills the viruses and bacteria that may be in the foods we eat.
Moving the bowel may be the most frequent gastro-intestinal challenge associated with aging. The problem is usually the result of a poorly functioning or diseased large intestine. In general fewer stools pass after age 65 and in part this may be due to a change to softer foods or a decreased appetite.
Often constipation can be treated easily by drinking more water (at least eight glasses of non-caffeinated water a day) plus 25 grams of fibre a day and adding 1.5 tablespoons of flax oil to get things moving.
It's important to know that there will be changes associated with aging but there are many things you can do to correct and prevent those changes.
Digestion Part 8 (The Gut Brain Connection)
The gut-brain connection has always fascinated me. Have you ever had a gut-wrenching experience or felt nauseous with emotional upset? We use these expressions to describe emotional reactions such as stress and grief because emotions often trigger symptoms in our gastro intestinal tract.
The reason for this is that the brain and the GI tract are intimately connected. The entire journey of food through this 30-foot long digestive tract is orchestrated by a remarkable communication network known as the enteric nervous system (ENS). This intricate complex is located in the gut wall and communicates with the brain via the spinal cord. In turn, this nervous system is influenced by hormones, neuro-transmitters and connections to the central nervous system that affect muscles, mucosa and blood vessels in the digestive tract.
The ENS cells in the lining of the gut can communicate with the brain via the sympathetic nervous system, which is that 'fight or flight' mechanism. The parasympathetic or the relaxed nerves link the ENS to the base of the brain. And so the gut and brain are communicating all the time.
In 1903 Dr. Drossman reported that 75 per cent of irritable bowel patients in his studies suffered from emotional factors. He also reported that less pain, bloating and diarrhea were apparent after 12 weeks of cognitive behavioural therapy, the kind of therapy that encourages an optimistic frame of mind.
Dr, William Beaumont, did a wonderful study in the middle of the nineteenth century. When a soldier had a gunshot wound in his stomach, he was able to observe the manís stomach and could see the changes that took place in the lining of his stomach when he experienced different emotions.
In other studies, high rates of prior physical and sexual abuse have been found in patients with functional GI disorders - as high as 56 per cent in patients with severe symptoms.
A review of many, many studies shows that compared patients who received only conventional medical treatment to those who were treated with psychologically based approaches such as counselling, relaxation and hypnotherapy, the latter had a much greater improvement in their symptoms.
The gut-brain connection truly is important - and fascinating!
Food Sensitivities
I'm always surprised at how many of my patients have some sort of food allergy or sensitivity as part of their health profile. Dr. James Breneman, a well-known allergist, writes, "The incidence of diet-related problems is greater than the incidence of any other kind of illness affecting humankind."
He estimates that 60 - 80 per cent of the population has unknown food allergies or intolerances. My clinical experiences concur with his opinion. Many people say, "I don't have an allergen," and are then pleasantly surprised at how much better they feel when they eliminate a particular food from their diet.
It is important that people increase their awareness of the scope of allergy as a possible cause of illness. Any symptom can be caused by allergens. The most common are skin conditions, ear or nose problems, arthritis, digestive problems, both acute and chronic inflammations, mood disorders, sleep disturbances, confusion and fatigue.
There are a few ways to test for allergens. In our office I have used a German scientific machine called a Vega machine to test for food allergens. But another way to test your body to see if there is an allergen is to try what I call the "no fun diet" for five days. If at the end of five days you feel better and/or some symptoms decrease, then you'll need to do more testing to find which of the omitted foods is the suspect allergen.
Here it is: the allowed food list for five days: brown rice in any form such as bread crackers and pasta, all vegetables (unless you know you have an allergy to a certain one), fruit (limit to two a day), fish of any kind, extra virgin olive oil and any kind of green herb (oregano, basil, etc.).
If you know that you have an allergy to any of these, you'll naturally want to eliminate it. If the food is not on this list, don't eat it for five days. If at the end of five days you don't feel any better, you've ruled out food allergies as a causative factor for your condition. However, if you do feel better, re-introduce foods one at a time. For example, have two eggs one day and see if you feel okay. If you do, perhaps add chicken the next day and so on. If you felt good on the five-day "no fun diet" and you start re-introducing foods and start feeling worse, go backwards - start to eliminate again.
The idea behind this method is to use your body as a scientific subject. When you don't feel well, what is it? What is the particular food that is making you feel worse?
If you have food allergies or sensitivities, then work with a naturopathic physician to diagnose the allergen and help you decrease your allergic profile.
Heartburn
Heartburn is a common complaint of many of my older patients. Heartburn is a term used to describe a feeling of gaseousness or fullness in the abdomen or pain in the esophagus above the stomach area.
Unfortunately the usual treatment for heartburn is antacids. As a Naturopath what I want to do is find out the cause. Why are you having heartburn?
A major cause of heartburn is eating too much at a single sitting. This causes the gastric juices to flow up the esophagus and leads to a burning discomfort that radiates upward. Other causes may be cigarette smoking, weight gain, chocolate, fried foods, soft drinks, alcohol or coffee.
Some food sensitivities can also cause heartburn. Wheat is the most common one.
These substances increase pressure in the abdomen and cause the acid stomach contents to flow upwards.
To treat heartburn it's important to eliminate the substances that may be causing the discomfort. Try lowering your coffee intake, eating a high fibre, low fat diet and keeping your alcohol intake moderate.
It might help to raise the head of your bed by four to five inches. This method takes advantage of gravity to stop the reflux from going into the esophagus.
Digestive enzymes can help. Several studies have shown that the ability to secrete gastric juices lessens with age so sometimes it helps to replenish the depleted digestive enzymes. You can do this by supplementing with concentrated plant enzymes. Plant enzymes help to predigest the food and take the load off the digestive system.
The single most effective treatment is deglycyrrhizinated licorice root (DGL). DGL improves both the quality and quantity of the protective substances that line the intestinal tract. It also increases the blood supply to the intestinal lining. Fortunately this is one of the few natural substances that has been tested against the stomach secretion lowering drugs. DGL has been found to be as effective as the drugs without the side effects.
The action of DGL is much different from that of antacids. DGL protects the stomach. It will also prevent the ulceration of the esophagus and stomach. Antacids work by suppressing the gastric acids.
When you lower your stomach acid you are decreasing one of your body's first lines of defense. Stomach acid is high for a reason: it kills the viruses and bacteria that may be on your food. By lowering your stomach acid you could be putting yourself at risk. Also, we need high gastric acid to properly digest food. It's only when our food is digested properly that we get all the vitamins and minerals out of them.
To promote healing, DGL must be mixed with saliva so you'll find it in chewable tablets or powder form.
Heartburn is just a symptom of something going wrong in your body. A change of diet and a few supplements may well help you to be pain free.
Historic Diet Changes
Diet and health are more connected than most people imagine. We often hear about specific diseases such as heart disease and diabetes and the link between food intake and the perils of getting ill. But what about the bigger picture?
Recently I read an excellent article in the BC Naturopathic Association Newsletter that I want to share with you. In February a fascinating research study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition where eight researchers examined the overall western diet in relation to disease and death. The research showed that it is not so much specific foods in our modern diets that cause disease but the diet overall. They showed that in the last 200 years there have been seven fundamental shifts in the characteristics of our diet. They postulated that these radical changes are wholly or partly related to all chronic illnesses and health problems in the western world.
Their research shows that many years ago the dietary choices would have been limited to minimally processed wild plant and animal foods. Over time agriculture and food processing, and later, food preservation, led to the introduction of new staple foods, which are the predominant foods in our new general diet. These changes can be summarized in seven categories:
- First, there has been a huge increase in milk consumption after weaning, which marks humans as the only species, which farms and consumes another animal's milk.
- Second, there has been an increase in cereal consumption and it's worth noting that 85 per cent of the cereals consumed today are from highly processed, refined grains, bearing no relation to the cereals consumed in prior times.
- Third - the consumption of refined sugars, due largely to food processing capabilities, has risen in the last 200 years. In England in 1815, the average person's sugar consumption was 6.8 kgs per year. By 1970 it was 54 kgs and now it is 70 kgs - that's 70 kgs of sugar per person per year.
- Fourth - consumption of refined vegetable oil has risen most dramatically over the 20th century: 130 per cent increase in cooking oil, 136 per cent increase in shortening and 400 per cent increase in margarine. The use of new purification processes and manufacturing techniques like hydrogenation developed in 1897 have led to a huge consumption of trans fatty acids, which we know leads to heart disease.
- Fifth - the consumption of salt has risen dramatically. Ninety per cent of the salt in our diets comes from salt added to our food, not naturally occurring salt in our food.
- Sixth - we've increased our consumption of fatty, domestic meats, which has increased the saturated fat in our diets and because animals are penned it has also increased the inflammatory products in this meat.
- Lastly, our alcohol consumption has risen dramatically. In moderation, alcohol can be a wonderful addition to our diets but the overconsumption of alcohol plays havoc with our intestines and liver.
The researchers have outlined how each of these shifts has had a negative impact on our health. The statistics are American but we, as Canadians, should pay attention.
Sixty-five per cent of US adults are overweight; 50 million Americans have high blood pressure; 1.1 million have type 2 diabetes; 3. 7 million have high cholesterol; osteoporosis is rife among women age 50 and older and cancer is competing with heart disease as the leading cause of death - and over one-third of cancer deaths are due to nutritional factors.
Using this historical analysis the article makes a compelling argument for a shift away from processed and preserved foods.
The authors of the report summarize their work by saying that diet related chronic diseases present the single largest cause of death and disease. These diseases are epidemic in contemporary westernized populations and typically afflict 50 - 65 per cent of the adult population, yet they are rare or non-existent in hunter-gatherers and other less westernized people.
Hypoglycemia
A patient - I'll call her Judy - walked into my office the other day complaining that she was always hungry. Her energy was going up and down during the day and she was not sleeping well.
I see that as a telltale cluster of symptoms. These symptoms can happen if your blood sugar is low. Low blood sugar indicates hypoglycemia.
What is hypoglycemia? Hypo means low and glycemia is sugar. Hypoglycemia is not a disease per se but a complex of symptoms stemming from faulty carbohydrate metabolism.
The cause is a diet that is too high in refined carbohydrates. By refined I mean carbohydrates that are simple sugars - honey, white sugar, molasses, maple syrup, fruit juice, white flour, white rice and pasta and bread made from white flour.
When you eat too many simple sugars, the body instantly becomes high in simple blood sugars. Two to three hours later the sugar high goes and you become depleted - this is the low blood sugar phase that occurs when the body has been overwhelmed with too much sugar and is unable to process is effectively.
When you flood your body with sugar, the pancreas pumps out large amounts of insulin, the hormone that takes the sugar from the blood and distributes it to the cells where it is used as energy. If too much insulin is secreted, your blood sugar falls and you display the symptoms of hypoglycemia.
There are long term consequences to this up-and-down mechanism. It eventually wears out the pancreas and when that happens we are more susceptible to type two diabetes. That is a real threat to our aging population - it's our fastest growing chronic disease.
The correlation is clear. In the early 1900's we ate about 20 pounds of refined sugar per year. At the start of the new millenium we are consuming approximately 140 pounds of refined sugar per year. That is a dramatic increase.
The symptoms of hypoglycemia are constant hunger, tiredness, irritability, insomnia, headaches and intermittent memory loss. Low blood sugar is also associated with aggressive behaviour in people of all ages. Children who eat too much sugar often become aggressive.
It's a shame we don't make the connection between our sugar intake and our mood. I often think it's one of our body's shortcomings that we remember how good we felt when we ate sugar but we don't remember how we felt two hours later when we're got tired and irritable.
Women are more responsive to insulin during the week before their period starts and that causes blood sugar irregularities. That's why many women have sugar cravings that week.
So when I diagnosed Judy with hypoglycemia, the first thing I did was look at her diet. She switched to whole grains and we made sure her simple sugars were kept to a minimum. If she did eat simple sugars, she made sure she ate them with a meal. I recommended five small meals spread throughout the day and if necessary, a snack before bed. It doesn't mean increasing caloric intake - it means redistributing the calories.
Good snacks include things like trial mix, fruit, nut butters and unsweetened yogurt.
I added supplements to Judy's regime. The B complex has been shown to regulate blood sugar while chromium is a mineral that works with insulin to allow glucose to feed the cells. I gave her liver cleansing herbs. The liver is very important in carbohydrate metabolism. The liver stores sugar and releases sugar so we need to make sure it's functioning well. Herbs such as milk thistle and dandelion are good. Licorice root can help to strengthen the adrenal glands which help to contribute to a healthy sugar balance.
Stress is another contributing factor to hypoglycemia. When you are experiencing high stress the pumping of the adrenaline - the stress hormone - releases more sugar into the blood. Many people notice that when they're in high stress situations, their sugar cravings go up.
We looked at her exercise routine. It has been shown that people with hypoglycemia and diabetes can regulate their sugar metabolism dramatically by doing regular exercise and stress reduction techniques.
When Judy came back into the office two weeks after implementing this program, she was amazed at the difference in her overall energy, clarity and ability to function.
Indigestion
We should get most of our nutrition from the food we eat and we should feel good after a meal.
But many people don't feel good after they eat and that's not normal. And it shouldn't be considered normal to pop an antacid pill to make the pain or discomfort go away.
People walk into my office every week complaining of heartburn or indigestion. The symptoms are a fullness of the stomach, or gas, or they may have pain either in the mid-chest or the stomach area. They may bloat after eating and they just simply don't feel good.
The same symptoms can have a variety of causes. It could be poor eating habits like nibbling during the day and then having one big meal at night. It could be that they don't have enough digestive enzymes because as we age, our bodies produce fewer of them. It could be stress.
If the heartburn is chronic, it may be a hiatus hernia - an outpooching of the stomach above the diaphragm; the stomach actually goes through the valve and into the esophagus area. Antacids are the common treatment for heartburn - and they work. But they also have a lot of disadvantages.
Our normal stomach pH is 1.5 to 2.5 and it's within that range for a good reason. Our stomach is our first line of defense against harmful bacteria in our food and is the major organ of digestion.
If you raise the pH with antacids, you're going to have poor digestion of proteins and your immune system defenses will be lowered slightly. It also sets up your stomach for overgrowths of bacteria like helicobacter pylori which causes ulcers.
Naturopathic medicine prefers to look for the cause of heartburn and indigestion rather than treat the symptoms - and there are ways of eating properly that will prevent the symptoms in the first place.
Indigestion is curable - absolutely. If you need to use antacids, you should use them wisely and very sparingly. To treat the cause, you should eat smaller meals. Lower your fats and sugars and caffeine - especially caffeine. More than one cup of coffee can cause heartburn.
Find out if you're sensitive to any foods. If you need to, take digestive enzymes. They help by pre-digesting your food.
A herb that's excellent for digestive healing is deglycyrrhizinated licorice root. It increases the quality and quantity of the protective substances that line the intestinal tract. It also improves the blood supply to the intestinal tract as well as soothing the tissues. Licorice root is contraindicated in people with high blood pressure - when it's deglycyrrhizinated the side effects are reduced.
These are all physical fixes but you can't talk about indigestion without addressing stress. When your body is stressed, your sympathetic nervous system is on overload and the first thing it does is shut down the digestive system. All the energy and blood is going to your muscles and brain.
If you want a healthy digestive system, you have to practice stress reduction techniques several times a day. Deep, abdominal breathing is terrific for relaxing that area and allowing the digestive process to begin.
Liver Health Part 1
I find it heartening that so many of you are reading these columns and are taking the opportunity to increase your health. More than 150 of you took up my challenge to go on a detox diet for five days - so stay tuned and read my next column for the results.
Today I am going to continue with the series I have been writing about digestion. In my last two columns I talked about the importance of stress reduction and being careful about what you eat. In these next two columns I will write about the functioning and regeneration of the liver - a truly wonderful organ.
The liver weighs about four pounds and is found on the right side of the body under the ribs. The liver has many jobs. Over two litres of blood pass through the liver for detoxification every 60 seconds. A truly wonderful attribute of the liver is that it is the only internal organ that regenerates itself. You could lose up to 25 per cent of your liver and it would regenerate itself in very short order.
It can transform nutrients absorbed from the food we eat into substances useable by the body. These substances include enzymes, blood clotting substances, vitamins, and proteins necessary for the function of the immune system.
The liver makes over a litre of bile, which breaks down fats so that we can absorb them. Bile also carries away many toxic substances so that they can be eliminated from the body.
The liver promotes intestinal peristalsis (the movement of the intestines), which helps prevent constipation. Nutrients such as iron, vitamin B12, A, and D are extracted from the blood stream and stored in the liver for future use.
This organ reduces cholesterol and can create glucose tolerance factor, which helps to store sugar in the liver where it will be available in times of stress. Excess food is converted to fat in the liver and the fat is then transported to the fatty tissues of the body for storage.
Another very important function of the liver is to detoxify the body – and we know that we are exposed to far too many environmental toxins, including toxins in our food. We are constantly bombarded with such toxins as drugs, alcohol, and pesticides. Since 90 per cent of all cancers are thought to be due to effects of environmental carcinogens, proper functioning of the liver detoxification system is especially important for the prevention of that disease. The best protection against cancer is to avoid these carcinogens and make sure your liver is working well.
Ammonia is a byproduct of protein digestion and bacteria formation and the liver breaks it down so that we don't toxify ourselves. Finally, the liver is responsible for the regulation of hormones. It breaks down excess thyroid, adrenaline, estrogen, and insulin after they have performed their needed functions. By breaking down adrenaline, the stress load goes down. A decrease in estrogen can reduce the effects of estrogen dominated symptoms such as premenstrual syndrome, fibroids, or endometriosis. Of course proper insulin regulation helps with sugar balance.
This is an impressive list of functions and I'm sure you can see how important the liver is to maintaining good health. There are no conventional blood tests to measure the functioning of this organ. The liver test done by a conventional doctor detects a malfunction of the liver but does not determine if it is functioning properly.
What can you do to keep your liver healthy? Thankfully, diet, herbs, and a few vitamins can decongest and rejuvenate the liver. Stay tuned for my next column to find out how.
Liver Health Part 2
In my last column I wrote about the liver's many amazing functions. This organ is vital for digestion, detoxification, sugar and fat regulation, and hormone control.
The symptoms of a sluggish liver include pain under the right rib cage, digestion complaints like decreased appetite, nausea, and bloating and sometimes itchy skin. So today let’s look at ways to make the liver function better.
It starts with the diet (again). For a healthy liver stay away from saturated fats, refined sugar, and alcohol. In contrast, a diet that is rich in dietary fibre (apples, oat bran, legumes) promotes better liver function. Some specific foods that help the liver are those that contain a high amount of sulfur like garlic and onions, the cabbage family, beets, artichokes, and dandelions. Herbs such as turmeric, cinnamon, and licorice will also help to nourish the liver.
Lipotropic factors, especially choline, methionine, and inositol are compounds that help promote the flow of fat and bile to and from the liver. They can decongest the liver and promote improved liver function and metabolism. Antioxidants such as C, Beta-Carotene, and E are important in protecting the liver from damage as well as helping the liver's detoxification mechanism. The B vitamins can help the liver eliminate heavy metals and other toxic compounds from the body.
Drink plenty of water to aid in the detoxification process. Keep your bowels moving and unconstipated so the liver does not have to work overtime. And remember that overeating creates excess work for the liver and when it's overworked it can't handle all its functions properly.
There are many herbs that can help to help clear and restore the liver's function. The most impressive research has been done on milk thistle - this herb can prevent damage to the liver by acting as an antioxidant when it is exposed to toxic chemicals. In many studies it has been shown to have a positive effect in treating liver diseases of various kinds.
The dandelion, the bane of many gardeners, can act as diuretic and as an aid to all liver healing. Beetroot and black radish are other botanicals that can aid the liver's functions.
To recap: watch your diet, drink lots of water, and decrease alcohol, saturated fat, and refined sugar; add a few lipotropic factors and some of the well known botanical medicines.
Every year I suggest that people do a detox diet using these substances for at least four weeks. Your liver deserves a Spring tune-up.
Protein Powders
I was surprised recently when a patient came in and showed me a large container of protein powder that she had just bought fro $60. It was less than a one-month supply!
That visit convinced me it was time to write this column because I want to tell you about an easy way to make your own protein shake for less than one-third of that cost.
Protein shakes do come in handy at times. Many of you who don't like to eat breakfast may have found that a protein drink can go down easily when other food won't. Some of you may also need a mid-morning or mid-afternoon pick-me-up and a protein drink can come in handy. You might also want to try taking a protein drink on your next hike or before your next workout. Protein drinks add both nutrition and much-needed liquids to your system.
To make a high-protein drink start with bagged bulk soy protein that you can find in some of the health food stores in town. Usually the bulk soy is 57 per cent protein by weight. Translated, that means 10 grams of protein for three tablespoons of powder. To this add dairy, soy or rice or nut milk and for sweetness, try adding % cup fresh or frozen berries. Strawberries and blueberries are delicious. Juice often makes the drink far too sweet, especially if you start your day with it.
Cinnamon or nutmeg can be added to spice your drink up. And remember that chocolate is full of caffeine and many people do not tolerate it well. For Omega 3 add 1 % tablespoon of flax, hemp or essential oils. Some people feel they don't digest protein well so you could add a digestive enzyme either to the mix or take it in the pill form. If you read the label of the protein powder mixes, you'll notice that some have added enzymes and other vitamins. A less expensive way to get your vitamins is to take a good multi tablet separately.
Whey protein can be used instead of soy protein but remember that whey is made from dairy products and many people are sensitive to dairy.
I also want to mention protein bars. They are not a substitute for a meal. They contain no living vegetables or fruits and many of today's protein bars are not much more than a chocolate bar with protein powder added - and they're sold at triple the price.
The amount of sugar in protein bars is also very high and may play havoc with your blood sugar.
A protein drink has a useful place in your diet regimen. Try making your own for a significant savings in money.
Sugar
I hope you had a great summer - I certainly did. Paddling in the Haida Gwais was an amazing adventure - all that pristine nature and the ancient Haida culture. But it was the observation of the eating habits of my fellow paddlers that provided the impetus for this article.
I've known these people for a long time and thought of them as very healthy and health-conscious. But on the trip I was surprised at how much sugar seemed to be the norm in their diets. After some discussion I realized how little this group of people and most people know about the effects sugar has on the body. One woman reported back to me how surprised she was after she took my challenge to take sugar out of her diet for two weeks. Her moods were more even and she didn't have her old highs and lows of energy. She had mentioned that she had complained to many health practitioners over the last few years about her fluctuating energy and they had all dismissed her concerns by saying she was healthy.
Why is sugar so bad for you? First, a small amount - two teaspoons a day - is probably fine for the healthy, energized person. This is the amount the average person ingested in 1900. But by the time 2000 rolled around the amount had increased to 150 pounds per year - 10 times that amount, or 22 teaspoons a day.
If it's sweet, it's sugar. Many people fool themselves that honey or maple syrup or a handful of raisins is not sugar. The amount of sugar in packaged foods has increased dramatically. I've even observed that many of the processed health food store products contain sugar. And I've noticed that even hardware and stationary stores sell candy at the checkouts.
Why do people consume so much sugar? Have you noticed that when you have a chocolate bar or a soda you feel good for about 30 minutes to an hour later? Our bodies remember that high. I've always said that one of our body's few shortcomings is that we forget how bad we feel one-and-half to two hours after we have ingested sugar. It's at this low time that we want to get back to that high. We have this positive association with sugar. And because nutritional counseling is part of my job I've often heard my patients explain that this is one of their greatest joys.
I explain to them that they need to broaden their sources of pleasure and find out how to have fun without consuming a lot of sugar. I have also heard people report that they're not hungry - they just want sugar. That need comes from the sugar in the blood being too low. They are hungry but the body has translated it into a need for sugar. Our cravings for sugar always need to be addressed but not with refined sugar - with healthful snacks like nuts, cheese or other sources of protein.
How do we remove the sugar cravings? Graze over the day - have three small meals and three snacks. Limit your sugar treats to two or three times a week - but recognize that if you have it one day you may want to have it the next day too. So have another kind of snack to work through that craving. Recognize that sugar gives us a false and temporary sense of well-being, not an ongoing one.
In my next article I'll write about the medical information about how sugar increases hypoglycemia, diabetes and inflammation in the body and also how it decreases the immune system.
My challenge to you is the challenge I gave my fellow kayakers: try giving up sugar for two weeks. Two pieces of fruit a day are okay. See how you feel and report to me at my office. Let me know how it goes.