Health related information and news from around the world.

The key is to buy food in its most natural state. As a general rule, avoid foods that have had chemicals added (either to replace something natural, as with artificial sweeteners) or to prolong shelf-life.

Remember that you are aiming to avoid chemicals that could compromise your fertility. You also want to optimize your health by eating as naturally as possible, in order to increase your chances of getting pregnant.

The first step is to get into the habit of reading labels carefully.

Reading Labels

Although most of us lead busy lives, and tend to do our shopping as quickly as possible, it’s worth investing some time in looking at labels on foods and drinks before you buy them. Once you are familiar with the best brands to buy, shopping for the healthiest foods becomes relatively easy.

Firstly, it is best to avoid ingredients which sound like something from a chemistry lesson, especially products containing E numbers. Some are fine to eat, as they are naturally derived, but the vast majority are not and have known side-effects. Without carrying a reference book with us all the time we cannot know which ones are which. Usually food manufacturers make it clear if the additive in question is a natural one because it is a good selling point. However, if in doubt, avoid it altogether.

Also check the label for artificial sweeteners (such as saccharin and aspartame) and, where possible, avoid them. They are chemicals too and the safety of many of them is in doubt.

Generally, the longer the ingredients list, the more suspicious you should be about the product.

Manufacturers argue that additives, preservatives and flavourings are used in such small quantities that they have no adverse effect. However, if you take into account the cumulative effect of these additives in all the different products you eat each day, the quantities soon mount up. Nobody knows what the combined effect of this chemical cocktail might be or how it could affect fertility and a developing baby.

These days it’s more or less impossible for most people to make sure that every single thing they eat is chemical-free, especially if their lifestyle means they need to eat snacks or meals away from home. But, without getting unduly anxious about it, you need to eat as naturally and healthily as possible. For example, as you will undoubtedly need to buy convenience or packaged food from time to time, try to find the best brand you can by going for the shortest, most chemical-free ingredients list.

Healthy cooking tips

• With organic carrots and potatoes, you only need to scrub the skins. Do not peel them, as many of the nutrients are concentrated just under the skin.

• To avoid nutrient loss, lightly cook vegetables in a little water or steam them.

• Avoid frying where possible. Try grilling or baking instead.

• Choose cookware with care. Avoid all aluminum cookware, as this is a heavy toxic metal that can enter food through the cooking process. The same applies to aluminum foil and cases. Avoid any coated cookware, such as non-stick, which is thought to be carcinogenic. The best cookware materials are cast iron, enamel, glass and stainless steel.

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What is it?

The death of an apparently healthy, normal baby in its cot or pram for no known reason. The baby has sometimes had a snuffle nose or other minor symptoms.

In Britain one in every 500 babies dies suddenly and unexpectedly like this. In many parts of the world it is the commonest cause of death under the age of 1 year. It is slightly more common in boys than girls and occurs more frequently in the winter months.

What causes it?

The vast majority of such deaths have to be labeled ’cause unknown’. Occasionally, post-mortem examination shows there is an unrecognized serious condition such as pneumonia or meningitis. Evidence of a minor infection is found in some children.

Prevention

Although the cause of sudden infant deaths (cot death) is not usually known there are certain precautions that can be taken, especially if you have already had one such death in the family.

• Breastfeed exclusively from birth until at least 6 months. Whilst breast-fed babies do die from cot deaths the condition is less common in totally breast-feds.

• Don’t give a child under 1 year a pillow unless it is a special non-suffocating type. Most babies who die in this way certainly have not suffocated but it will put your mind at rest and will prevent suffocation in itself.

• Try to protect your baby from coming unnecessarily into contact with people who have coughs, colds and ‘flu. Of course, all babies will get these illnesses from time to time but once again, it will put your mind at rest if you have taken such simple precautions.

• Those who have lost one child by cot death, and even some who have not, will probably want to think about the following precautions, which are at least sensible, for a subsequent baby:

1. Tell your doctor if you think your baby is at all ill.

2. Always take seriously fits, blue or grey turns, difficult breathing, and exceptional drowsiness. Tell the doctor urgently.

3. Tell the doctor as soon as possible if your baby has any of the following: croup; can’t breathe through nose; cries in an unusual way or for a long time; repeatedly refuses food; vomits repeatedly; has watery diarrhea; or is unusually cold, hot or floppy. Even if you have told your doctor, health visitor or nurse, if things don’t improve tell, your doctor again the same day.

• If your baby stops breathing, perform artificial respiration, blowing only the amount of air you can hold in your cheeks into his or her nose and mouth by covering both with your mouth.

• If your baby has a fit lay him or her face down with the head turned to one side, clear the mouth of sick or froth and cool him or her by removing clothes or sponging with tepid water.

• If your baby swallows pills or poisons get expert help at once.

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We have been discussing up to now the beneficial effects that the extract from the New Zealand Green-Lipped Mussel has in relieving the symptoms of rheumatoid and osteo-arthritis.

Most of the discussion has related to human sufferers. What about other forms of arthritis, and what about domestic animals?

Taking human subjects first, there are those who experience stiff shoulders or legs every now and again, or perhaps a bad back during cold, damp weather. Others consider that they have developed a case of fibrositis, bursitis, lumbago or allied conditions. In many instances these conditions may be incorrectly self-diagnosed. Reports of treatment of this type of rheumatic complaint with the mussel extract preparation nave been entirely on a subjective basis, no clinical studies having been done up to the present.

The reports in general, however, would indicate that, where the condition is rheumatic, a considerable degree of success may be achieved with this treatment from the sea. Many people have reported that, taking a course of the mussel extract capsules over a period of three or four weeks at the start of the winter period, they have remained free of the usual aches and pains associated with the onset of the colder, damp weather. Others, claiming to be ‘barometers’ (i.e. able to predict wet weather by their aching joints), say that they are unable to do this after treatment with the extract.

Where undiagnosed conditions are involved it is, of course, not possible to give any definite indication of the likely effect of any particular treatment. It is probably sufficient to say that people who usually suffer deterioration in mobility and/or an increase in aches and pains during adverse climatic conditions, or sometimes after unusual exertion, frequently show a positive response to treatment with the mussel extract. In the case of animals that have undiagnosed rheumatic-type conditions (particularly in race-horses), the condition has usually manifested itself in stiffness and pain in the leg and hip joints. The extract seems to be particularly successful in these cases as can readily be seen from the change in their movement and attitude after treatment.

In almost all cases, whether diagnosed or obscure, the beneficial effect with respect to the desire to be active and feeling of well-being is noted.

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After basic demographic questions-age, family status, and so on – I ask about eating behaviors. I also explore her social life, sexual history and attitudes, and her use of illicit drugs or alcohol. In later conversations we take a closer look at her answers.

Weight: One important area to explore is the patient’s weight history. I ask patients about their “desired weight.” When a patient who weighs 150 pounds says her ideal weight is 110, I will pursue the matter, asking how realistic she thinks that goal is. Often she responds, “Well, I’d like to hit one hundred and ten, but probably the best I could hope for is one hundred and twenty-five. I did get down to one hundred and twenty once, but only for three days. I felt miserable when I started gaining again.”

Patients often recount their weight history in enormous detail, which is not surprising considering they focus on eating every waking moment. Actually, the ability to recall weight history often provides me with a vital number for anorexics: the weight at which they stopped menstruating. In restoring weight, the target weight needs to be above this level if patients are to overcome their phobia about resuming menses.

I also want to learn about her attitudes toward weight. Does her family comment frequently on weight and appearance? One patient traced her disorder to the fact that whenever her father saw a fat woman he said, “Look at that tub of lard!” She was so concerned he would say that about her-and thus stop loving her- that she began to starve herself.

And what about mealtime behavior? What is dinnertime like? Who is present? What turns does the conversation-if any-take?

I also explore her attitude about her body. What is her body image? Is it accurate or distorted? Does she focus on a particular area? Is there a clash between perception and reality?

Behavior: Next I’ll look at the patient’s behavior related to food and eating. What about dieting? Are certain foods “forbidden”? What are her attitudes about weighing herself and looking in the mirror?

Historical context: In family therapy, it is sometimes said that the calendar tells the story. I look to see how the problem evolved over time, and to find events that might have triggered the disorder. These events may include a loss (death of a relative), change (divorce, relocation), or rejection (breakup of a romance). Some details may emerge in conversations with parents. This isn’t to say that the adults’ perspective is better or more accurate than the patient’s. Both points of view are often needed.

Family: I also want to know the patient’s family background. Does she view her parents as strict or uninvolved? Is she starving for attention? Have there been traumatic events-death, separation, loss of a parent’s job?

Thinking patterns: People with eating disorders often display black-and-white thinking: Everything is all one way or the other, with no room for subtle shadings. During the assessment, I listen for such clues so I can orient therapy to correct distorted ways of thinking.

Social milieu: How well does the patient function outside the family? Does she get along at school or on the job? Does she have friends? A lover? What else is there in her life besides the eating disorder? Obviously, if there is nothing else, giving up her behavior will be that much harder.

Substance abuse: Use of illicit drugs and alcohol severely complicates an eating disorder. I will always ask: Do you use alcohol or drugs? How often? How much? I try to avoid sounding like a prosecutor, but I have to know the facts if I am to be of any help. Detoxification is a critical element in managing eating disorders.

Suicidal feelings: As with substance abuse, if a troubled patient doesn’t bring up the subject of suicidal thoughts, then I will make a point of asking about them directly.

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In 1996, when Linda Christopher began walking during her lunch hour, she didn’t foresee the profound impact that it would have on her life. Sure, she lost weight—her real purpose from the start. But along the way, she reconnected with nature, reaffirmed her faith in God, and rediscovered herself.

Back then, Linda was grappling with a lifelong weight problem that seemed to grow worse as she got older. She was fed up with dieting and with losing and regaining the same pounds. “I stopped weighing myself when I hit 184 pounds,” says the 41-year-old teacher from Garwood, New Jersey. “But I know that I got even heavier, because I could barely fit into my size-18 clothes.”

Her too-small wardrobe only reinforced Linda’s dissatisfaction with how she looked and felt. It gave her the incentive to make some positive changes in her life.

“I just reached a point where I couldn’t handle it anymore,” she continues. “Instead of dwelling on weight loss, I shifted my focus to a healthier lifestyle.”

With that goal clear in her mind, Linda began to improve her eating habits. She tried hard to rein in her stress-induced binges. And if she felt that she had to eat something, she chose crunchy carrots or an apple instead of cookies or chips.

For exercise, she swam a couple of times of week at a local YMCA. And every day on her lunch break, she took a 20-minute walk through a nearby park. Those walks evolved into mini-spiritual journeys as Linda found herself using the time to commune with nature. “I had always enjoyed being outside, but between work and other activities, I had gotten away from it,” she ^ explains. “Those lunchtime walks helped me rediscover my love of the outdoors. There were so many sights and sounds and smells that I had forgotten.”

Amid all of that natural splendor, Linda experienced a sort of spiritual reawakening. Her faith in God deepened, and she felt more at peace with herself. “Walking was as good for my mind and spirit as for my body,” she says. “I felt so much better, and in ways that I never expected.”

Linda came to treasure her lunchtime walks so much that they gradually stretched from 20 minutes to an hour. Within 6 months, she lost more than 30 pounds. Out went those size 18s, replaced with size 12s.

Linda has maintained her weight at a healthy 154 pounds ever since. She has become such an avid outdoorswoman that she leads hikes for her local YMCA. Every Sunday morning, she spends at least an hour wandering the woods near her home—reconnecting with nature, with God, and with herself.

“I feel much better physically—and as a bonus, I’ve gotten back in touch with my spirituality,” she says. “That has made all the difference in my health and my life.”

WINNING ACTION

Transform your walk into a moving meditation. Walking is a wonderfully simple exercise for losing weight and getting fit. With its rhythmic pace, it can become meditative, especially when you’re alone. Use that time for personal reflection and renewal. It not only makes your workout go faster but it also mentally and spiritually rejuvenates you.

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