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Beat the Winter Blues

May 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Beat the Winter Blues

Ok – so maybe you don’t suffer with SAD (seasonal affective disorder) but it’s still possible to have the winter blues – especially as the weather these days is so changeable and unpredicatable.

What actually happens and why do we get these dips or low feelings or even actual depression ?

More than 100,000 chemical reactions go on in your brain every second! The brain is also a radio transmitter, which sends out measurable electrical wave signals. In fact the brain continues to send out these signals for as long as 37 hours after death! What a thought ……

We all think the brain is there just so we are able to learn things and be intelligent but it’s much more than that it is actually your own pharmacy and produces more than 50 identified active drugs. Some of these are associated with memory, intelligence and sedatives.  Endorphin’s, I think most of you have heard of these, they are classed as our “happy hormones” but they are also a natural painkiller, and can be 3 times more potent than morphine if you allow them to be.  You have heard of “mind over matter” I think this is exactly what it means.

Scientific research over the last several decades has led to the discovery of opiate-like chemicals in the body that associate with opiate specific receptors in the brain and spinal cord, including Serotonin which is a hormone manufactured by your brain.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, involved in the transmission of nerve impulses through the brain and spinal chord.  It is manufactured in your body using the amino acid tryptophan. Release of serotonin or other drugs (depending on the type of nerve) causes the other nerve to fire (synapse) and continue the message along the nerve.

The neurotransmitters are dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. At the neurochemical and physiological level, neurotransmitters are extremely important, since they carry impulses between nerve cells. The substance that processes the neurotransmitter called serotonin is the amino acid tryptophan. It increases the amount of serotonin made by the brain.

 Serotonin is a chemical that helps maintain a “happy feeling,” it helps to control our moods, sleeping cycle and relieves anxiety and depression.  The brain also makes Dopamine, which makes people more talkative and excitable. It affects  brain processes that control movement, emotional response, and ability to experience pleasure and pain. All of these chemicals are natural chemicals that affect our bodily processes.

Low Serotonin levels are believed to be the reason for many cases of mild to moderate depression which can lead to symptoms like anxiety, apathy, fear, feelings of worthlessness, insomnia and fatigue.

The sun and bright light seem to trigger a response to a brain hormone known as melatonin (produced by the pineal gland), which is, in part, responsible for preventing the “blues.” Stay in brightly-lit rooms on dark days. Research reveals that two hours of morning sun is very effective in lifting depression. The evening light had comparatively little results.

What can you do to help yourself

Nutrition and nourishment for the mind body and soul – that’s what……

Reaching for that chocolate bar or packet of biscuits will only lead to further depression, so don’t do it!

Instead eat a good range of

  • whole grains such as oats, millet, rice, buckwheat
  • lentils and pulses
  •  lots of root vegetables and green ones
  • spices and herbs
  • Make into curry or chilli or a really tasty soup or casserole- have those lovely aromas wafting through the kitchen.
  • Flax seeds or flax oil, as the Omega 3’s in these oils are found to be very beneficial for brain function
  •  avocado, bananas, aubergine, tomatoes contain great nutrients to help lift your mood
  •  Seeds, nuts, soy beans, spirulina.

A whole range of scrummy foods to lift your mood what better – add to this cacao nibs for a real treat (great alternative to chocolate) !

If you don’t already have Healthy Bunch Cookbook, make sure you get it as there are fabulous recipes there for you.

Exercise

Yes! you may have already read the series of books or seen the videos on the website, exercise REALLY does lift the mood, it releases the endorphins that help to make us happy – so go for it and on top of that it works off the calories you are putting in your mouth !

So start today, even if it’s just a walk in the fresh air at lunchtime.

Try a yoga class or get a DVD and practice at home – the “salutation to the sun” is a great wake up in the morning or midday or indeed anytime.

Pampering

Massage and other treatments can be great for boosting a sluggish circulation which will then cause your mood to lift and you will have a sense of wellbeing.  Try any of the following:

  • Aromatherapy – your practitioner will mix a blend of oils to perfectly complement the treatment
  • Massage – this will stimulate the circulation and bring about a great sense of wellbeing
  • Indian Head Massage – try this for a fabulous release of tension

Relaxation

  •  Meditation – try ten minutes of this first thing in the morning or anytime in the day when you need to clear your thoughts.  Try some of the really good guided meditation CD’s or join a meditation group
  • Relaxation CD’s this is different to meditation – these are designed to get you into a completely relaxed state and are very enjoyable too
  • Just find a corner in your busy day to sit or lie in a comfortable position and take a nap

Remedies

Take care when choosing any supplements or remedies as they may conflict with any medication you may already.

I would suggest the following if you are really suffering or your health is compromised.

Flax oil – A full range of B vitamins – 5HTP – a balance of magnesium and calcium 60/40%

Go to the online profile and let me check out your health for you.

Trisha Stewart

 

 

 

 

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Fibromyalgia

May 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Fibromyalgia

This is another difficult problem to diagnose with varying symptoms such as:

  • Chronic aching and stiffness of the muscles of the back, neck, shoulders, chest, thighs, arms and legs.
  • Headaches/migraine
  • Irregular sleep patterns
  • Digestive problems
  • Brain fog
  • Food intolerances
  • Depression
  • Dizzy spells

Does this not sound like Chronic Fatigue ! the symptoms are so similar.

Again it is unknown as to exact causes of fibromyalgia, but contributory factors include

  • Gut dysbiosis which is increased gut permeability and candida
  • Food intolerances, caused by the above
  • Previous or current viral infections
  • Stress
  • Heavy metal toxicity often from the amalgam teeth fillings or environmental
  • Gut acidity due to a diet high in animal products
  • Blood sugar problems and diabetes
  • History of a poor diet low in nutrients
  • Poor thyroid function

The Stewart Clinic offers an individually tailored approach as no two sufferers will require the same treatment. We continue to research into the effects of diet and lifestyle on fibromyalgia.

It is advisable to come to the clinic or complete the online health profile and also check with your medical practitioner to find out if there are any free tests available such as liver and kidney function, hormone and nutrient levels. We, at the Stewart clinic will carry out a BEST assessment (see BEST system and UK clinic) to find out what imbalances the body may have.

Consider the following:

  • Follow the 30 day detox programme or at least avoid sugar, refined carbohydrates, processed foods, caffeine, alcohol and additives, junk food and hydrogenated fats.
  • Eat lots vegetables and vegetable juices, fruit is sometimes an aggravation if there is gut dysbiosis so try just apples and pears or leave them out for the time being
  • Eat foods rich in essential fats such as hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and their cold pressed oils as they are anti-inflammatory.
  • Drink 8 glasses of water a day plus herbal teas.
  • Try an alternative treatment such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage but do please choose a fully qualified and professional therapist
  • Daily yoga, tai chi, pilates and walking are all great for circulation, heart, lungs and bodily functions

The Trisha Stewart Team are here to help you overcome your symptoms once and for all.

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What Is Heart Disease ?

May 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment

What Is Heart Disease ?

Surely everyone knows that ! Uncle so and so died from it and Aunty whats her name ended up with paralysis  and what about the child you knew down the road who was born with a heart defect !

But have you ever really studied it in a simplified way – I have set out this document to help you understand the different types of heart disease and what happens to the body.

Hopefully anyone reading any of my books will never suffer from any of these awful, life threatening diseases – unlike the 126,000 people who are dying each year from heart disease. (Stats from the British Heart Foundation)

What does the heart do

 The heart pumps blood around the body through arteries and veins carrying oxygen and other nutrients to the areas that need it and waste out. When this process is interrupted, or does not work properly, serious illness and even death can result.
The risk of heart disease is greater for people with poor diet, who smoke and do not exercise, men are more likely to suffer from it than women.

The Heart pumps 100,000 times a day 2.5b times in the average lifetime  and moves 2,000 gallons of blood every 24 hours

Heart Conditions

Heart Attack

A heart attack occurs when blood flow to part of the heart is blocked, often by a blood clot, causing damage to the affected muscle.

This is usually caused by atherosclerosis (hardening of the artery walls). The clot, often caused by rupturing or tearing of plaque in an artery is sometimes called a coronary thrombosis or a coronary occlusion.

If blood supply is cut off for a long time, muscle cells are irreversibly damaged and die, leading to disability or death depending on the extent of the damage to the muscle.

A heart attack, also known as myocardial infarction, can also occur when a coronary artery temporarily contracts or goes into spasm, decreasing or cutting the flow of blood to the heart.

An unexpected and abrupt heart attack occuring soon after the onset of symptoms can result in sudden death.

What Are The Main Symptoms

  • Pressure or pain in the centre of the chest, lasting more than a few minutes or going away and coming back
  • Pain spreading to the shoulders, neck or arms, particularly the left side
  • Chest discomfort combined with light-headedness, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath

Other common warning signs of heart attack include unusual chest, stomach or abdominal pain, nausea or dizziness, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, unexplained anxiety, weakness or fatigue, palpitations, cold sweat or paleness.

Diagnosis of a heart attack usually involves a clinical examination, an electrocardiogram, heart rhythm monitoring and blood tests.  Echocardiograms or angiograms will detect the extent of damage to the heart.

Heart failure

Does not mean the heart stops, it is simply not pumping blood as it should so the body does not get as much blood and oxygen as it needs.

It is caused by blocked arteries, past heart attack which has done some damage to the heart muscle or heart defects present since birth.  High blood pressure, heart valve or heart muscle disease and infection of the heart or valves are also causes.

Blood backs up in the veins, causing a build up which leads to swelling in the feet, ankles and legs, called edema. Too much fluid can also build up in the lungs causing pulmonary congestion.

The result is shortness of breath, especially when lying down, a feeling of being tired and run-down, swelling in the feet, ankles and legs, weight gain from fluid build up and confusion or an inability to think clearly.

Basically, heart failure is when the heart “fails” to be able to do its job properly

Swelling of the ankles is due the kidneys receiving less blood than they should, leading them to consider there is insufficient blood in the bloodstream and to store sodium and salt, leading to swelling.

The main cause of heart failure is coronary disease damaging the heart muscle.   Narrowed arteries restrict blood flow, making the heart beat faster, or a heart attack may damage the heart, preventing it functioning properly.

The quality of life for sufferers is poor and decreases over time – from difficulty exercising at first to problems with simple tasks such as dressing later.  The long-term prognosis for people with heart failure is bad – similar to that of breast and lung cancer patients.

Angina

A feeling of pain, heaviness, tightness, burning or squeezing in the chest – is an indication that the sufferer has heart disease and is at risk of a heart attack.

Angina occurs when arteriosclerosis has caused so much narrowing of the coronary arteries that they are not able to supply enough blood to the heart muscle during exercise.

The pain can spread to the arms, neck, jaw, face back or stomach. In some people it is a dull, persistent ache.

Dr Tony Gershlick, consultant cardiologist and honorary senior lecturer at University Hospitals Leicester, said: “Angina is very debilitating and can effect your quality of life and the amount of exercise you can do and can impact on your diagnosis in terms of morbidity and mortality.”

The condition is usually brought on by physical exertion, emotional stress or extreme temperatures when the demand for oxygen from the heart is greater than the blood supply available.  A patient may go for a walk and the limited blood supply from hardened arteries means that the increased blood supply needed does not reach the heart causing cramp, or angina.

There is a high risk of morbidity associated with this condition.

Variant angina pectoris, or Prinzmetal’s angina, however, can occur when a person is at rest. It occurs as a result of coronary artery spasm and may occur frequently for six months or more.

Hardened Arteries

The build-up of cells, fat, cholesterol and other substances – together known as plaque – in the arteries can lead to blood flow being blocked, preventing supply to the heart and brain.

The inner walls of the arteries become narrow because of a build-up of plaque, causing hardening known as atherosclerosis.

It is a slow, progressive disease which may begin in childhood. Why it starts is unknown but it may be due to high cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood, high blood pressure and smoking.

Deposits build up on the artery wall, and may stimulate the cells in the wall to produce further substances adding further layers of blockage. Fat builds up around and within these cells causing narrowing, or stenosis.

Thickening of the arteries can reduce the blood flow severely starving the blood supply to the heart and brain.  A blood clot can lodge which completely blocks off the artery.  Most commonly found in the legs, pelvis and abdominal arteries

The first sign of peripheral arterial disease is pain in the calf muscles, thighs or buttocks when walking or exercising. As it progresses, the pain may become continuous and prevent sleeping.

Narrowing of the arteries supplying blood to the heart can cause angina or heart attack.

Blockage of arteries to the neck can interfere with the flow of blood to the brain and may cause stroke.

Many people over the age of 60 will have some degree, irrespective of risk factors, of coronary artery narrowing.”

Risk factors include smoking, high cholesterol levels, diabetes and obesity. Family history and high blood pressure are also implicated and a combination of factors worsens a person’s chances of developing atherosclerosis.

High Blood Pressure, Or Hypertension

Increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, damage to the eyes, congestive heart failure and atherosclerosis.   It causes the heart to work harder than normal putting both the heart and arteries at greater risk of damage.

There are often no external signs of high blood pressure, leading many people to have it for years without noticing.  When combined with obesity, smoking, high blood cholesterol levels or diabetes, the risk of heart attack or stroke is several times higher.

If high blood pressure isn’t treated, the heart may have to work harder and harder to pump enough blood and oxygen to the body’s organs and tissues to meet their needs.

Diabetes and diet, particularly salt, are key causes of hypertension. Use of oestrogen-based contraceptive pills and hormone replacement therapy has been implicated as a cause.

When it is forced to work harder than normal for an extended time, the heart enlarges and weakens. While a slightly enlarged heart may work well, one that is significantly enlarged has a hard time meeting the demands put on it.

Arteries also suffer the effects of high blood pressure, becoming scarred, hardened and less elastic. Though this hardening of the arteries often occurs with age, high blood pressure accelerates the process.  The hardened or narrowed arteries are unable to supply the amount of blood the body’s organs need, preventing them working effectively.

Another risk is that a blood clot may lodge in an artery narrowed by atherosclerosis, blocking blood supply.  

Hypertension exists where the pressure at which blood is pushing against blood vessel walls is consistently above average.

It is measured in millimetres of mercury (mm Hg) and is defined in an adult as a blood pressure equal to or above 140mm Hg when the heart is contracting – systolic – and 90mm Hg when the heart is relaxing – diastolic.

Untreated high blood pressure can cause the heart to become abnormally large and less efficient – ventricular hypertrophy, causing heart failure and increased risk of heart attack.

In 90-95% of cases, the cause is unknown, in the remaining cases, high blood pressure is a symptom of a recognisable underlying problem such as a kidney abnormality, tumour of the adrenal gland or congenital defect of the aorta.  When the root cause is corrected, blood pressure usually returns to normal. This type of high blood pressure is called secondary hypertension.

 Disturbed Heart Rhythm, Or Arrhythmia

Occurs when the heart’s natural pacemaker develops an abnormal rate or rhythm, the normal blood flow is blocked or another part of the heart takes over as pacemaker.

Normal heartbeats occur at between 60 and 100 beats per minute for adults when resting.

They start in the right atrium, or upper chamber, of the heart sending an electrical signal which spreads to a connecting point to the ventricles, or lower chambers.   The atria contract first, followed by the ventricles a fraction of a second later.

Too slow or too fast

Heartbeats can be too slow, known as bradycardia. A heartbeat of less than 60 beats per minute can cause fatigue, dizziness, light-headedness or fainting.

A heart beat which is too fast, tachycardia, can produce palpitations and is also responsible for dizziness, light-headedness and fainting. Rapid heart-beating in the ventricles can be life threatening.

Ventricular fibrillation, where the lower chambers quiver and the heart cannot pump any blood, leads to collapse and sudden death unless medical treatment is immediately provided.

In atrial fibrillation, where the two upper chambers of the heart – the atria – quiver instead of beating properly, blood is not properly pumped out of the heart. As a result it may form clots and if the clot becomes lodged in an artery in the brain, a stroke may result.

The American Heart Association says around 15% of strokes are caused in this way.

Symptoms

Patients may themselves identify problems with their heart rate or symptoms.

Professor John Camm, professor of clinical cardiology at St George’s Hospital, London, said: “Often the patient with a cardiac arrythmia will make specific complaints such as ‘I feel my heart beating rapidly’ or ‘I feel my heart beating slowly and irregularly’.

“Sometimes they have taken their pulse and complain of a slow or fast pulse rate.  “And sometimes they have symptoms which are related to their fast pulse rate such as feeling faint or blacking out. Similarly, a slow heart rate can have these symptoms.”

There are three main types of heart muscle disease, all of which can cause a heart attack.

The most common – hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – is the biggest cause of sudden death in people aged under 30.

The warning signs of heart muscle disease – cardiomyopathy – are sudden loss of consciousness, rapid palpitations (arrhythmias), pain in the chest (angina) and unexplained breathlessness.

Primary cardiomyopathy has no specific causes, unlike secondary cardiomyopathy which may be caused by hypertension, heart valve disease, artery diseases or congenital heart defects as well as disease affecting areas other than the heart.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

The heart muscle thickens greatly without any obvious cause. In most cases the disease is hereditary, resulting from a gene abnormality.   The disease is thought to affect at least 125,000 people in the UK.

The muscle mass of the left ventricle is larger than it should be, causing the mitral valve to touch the dividing wall between the two sides of the heart – the septum.   The effect of the narrowing of the passage is to obstruct the blood flow out of the heart. The valve may leak.

The muscle is stiff and has difficulty relaxing, increasing the amount of pressure required to expand when blood flows into the heart. This reduces the blood holding capacity of the heart.

The condition can be present in the foetus and cause stillbirth, or may develop in infancy. But, more usually, it develops during childhood or early adulthood.

Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Dilated, or congestive, cardiomyopathy is more common and occurs due to enlarging and stretching of the heart cavity, weakening the heart so it does not pump normally.  The heart muscle becomes weak and too flexible, preventing it pumping blood efficiently around the body.

Breathlessness results as fluid builds up in the lungs, congesting them. This is called left heart failure.

There may also be right heart failure, where fluid accumulates in the tissues and organs of the body, usually the legs and ankles, and the liver and abdomen.

The cause of the condition is unknown in many cases, but it can be caused by a virus, auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, excessive consumption of alcohol or, rarely, as a result of pregnancy – peri-partum cardiomyopathy.

Shortness of breath, palpitations, tiredness, swollen ankles and angina are common symptoms.  Blood clots often form because the blood is flowing more slowly through the heart.

Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy

Heart muscle is replaced by fibrous scar and fatty tissue – the right ventricle tends to be most affected.  The right side of the heart may first thicken and later dilate – become thinner.   It may lead to disordered electrical activity, and in some cases problems with the heart’s pumping action.

Restrictive Cardiomyopathy

Restrictive cardiomyopathy is the least common form and occurs when the middle layer of the heart cavity wall – the myocardium – is excessively rigid, impairing the filling of the ventricles with blood between heartbeats.

Diagnosis and treatment

The disease can only be identified by screening and the Cardiomyopathy Association in the UK argues this should be extended – currently at risk families are checked.

Conditions are diagnosed using an electrocardiogram, which measures heart beats, and an echocardiogram, which produces a picture of the heart showing any thickening of the muscle.

Cardiac catheterisation, exercise testing, Holter monitoring and other tests may also be necessary.

Complications include blood clots, heart failure, disturbed heart beats and sudden death.

Heart valve disease

Usually develops over time, affecting people aged 60 or over, but it can be the result of an infection which “chews up” the valve in a matter of days.

The condition is often present at birth (congenital heart disease), the child being born with valves made of two parts rather than the usual three. Gradually the valve wears and becomes thicker to the point where it has to be replaced.

Rheumatic fever used to be a common cause, but as the illness is now rare the effect of bacteria in damaging the valve, preventing it opening or closing properly, is now rare.

Acute infection (endocarditis), sometimes as a result of an abcess of a tooth, is however still a common cause of valve disease. Bacteria can destroy the valve in as little as a week.

Flow of blood

If one or more of the four heart valves are diseased or damaged it can affect the flow of blood in two ways.

If the valve does not open fully, it obstructs the flow of blood – known as valve stenosis.  If the valve does not close properly, it will allow blood to leak backwards – called valve incompetence or valve regurgitation.

Both stenosis, a narrowing which makes the heart pump faster to get blood past the obstruction, and incompetence, which means the heart has to do more to pump the required volume of blood forwards, put extra strain on the heart.

The blood behind the affected valve will also be under increased pressure, called back pressure, leading to a build-up of fluid in the lungs or lower part of the body, depending on the valve affected.

Symptoms include tiredness or breathlessness when exercising, swelling of the ankles and legs, dizziness or fainting in extreme cases. Angina can occur.

Short of breath

Professor Gianni Angelini, British Heart Foundation professor of cardiac surgery at the University of Bristol, said: “You will have a patient who goes to see the GP and says suddenly he has noticed he is short of breath.

“He can’t do things he was able to do before. He can’t climb up stairs without getting short of breath, without having to stop.”

An electrocardiogram of the heart will be taken followed by an echocardiogram to give a picture of the heart.  If valve disease is found, treatment with drugs  may be used to control the problem, or – in severe cases – heart valve replacement may be necessary.  There is a 5% chance of a patient dying after valve replacement surgery. Risks are less for aortic valve replacement.

Congenital heart defects

Are present in about 1% of live births and are the result of development problems during pregnancy, sometimes as a result of a viral infection such as rubella contracted by the mother.

Alcohol, illegal drugs and over the counter medicines can also cause defects.

Congenital heart defects take the form of holes between the chambers, blockages in the pathways from the heart to the lungs or the body, or abnormal connections between the chambers and vessels of the heart.

Diagnoses

Diagnoses can be made by scans taken during pregnancy but are usually made in the first days or weeks after birth. Diagnosis may not though be made until much later in life.

Professor Robert Anderson, professor of paediatric cardiac morphology at the Institute of Child Health in London, said: “We are making more and more diagnoses before the child is born.

“Scans are now done at 12 weeks and at 20 weeks. Suspicion of problems can be risen and probably now when this is referred to tertiary centres, we can diagnose two-thirds of the overall proportion of lesions within the heart.”

This allows parents to consider whether they want the pregnancy to continue and to prepare themselves if they do decide to continue, he said.

Septal defects – holes in the heart

Holes in the heart can occur in the upper chambers – atrial septal defects – or lower chambers – ventricular septal defects. Or they can exist between all four chambers – atrioventricular septal defects.

Where the hole occurs in the great artery, the defect is called a patent arterial duct.   The holes are part of the circulation system in the foetus but should close up after birth.  More complex conditions include Tetralogy of Fallot, which is one cause of the condition cyanosis, commonly known as “blue babies”.

In Tetralogy of Fallot, the baby has a large hole in the heart, allowing blood to pass from the right ventricle to the left without going through the lungs. There is a narrowing at or just below the pulmonary valve, the right ventricle is more muscular than normal and the aorta lies directly over the hole – the ventricular septal defect.

Babies may have rapid breathing or fall unconscious. Older children may become short of breath and faint.  Surgery may be needed to increase blood flow to the lungs with a shunt, linking the aorta and the pulmonary artery. The child is able to develop and the defect can be corrected later.

Other causes of “blue babies” include defective pulmonary veins, which do not come back to the heart, or arteries coming out of the heart which are connected to the wrong ventricles,transposition.

With transposition most of the blood returning from the heart to the body is pumped back without first going to the lungs.

An arterial switch operation may be necessary to reconnect the arteries correctly.

With holes in the heart, oygenated, red blood which has come from the lungs passes into the right side of the heart where it mixes with bluish blood and is sent back to the lungs.   The heart is put under extra strain, potentially causing it to enlarge and causing high blood pressure and blood vessel damage. Growth and nourishment are affected.

Holes in the heart are closed with one or two patches and the single valve is divided into two. Blood circulation should be returned to normal but the reconstructed valve may not work normally.

If the defect is too complex to repair in infancy, pulmonary artery banding may be used to reduce blood flow and high pressure in the lungs – pulmonary hypertension. The band is later removed and surgery carried out.

Obstruction defects

The obstruction, called stenosis, can be of the valves between the upper and lower chambers of the heart – atrioventricular valvular stenosis.

More frequently, the obstruction is between the ventricles and trunks coming from them – arterial valvular stenosis.

This can be either the valve to the lungs – pulmonary valvular stenosis, in which case the right ventricle must pump harder than normal – or the valve to the body – aortic valvular stenosis, in which it is hard to pump blood to the body.

Balloon valvuloplasty is usually used to correct pulmonary valvular stenosis but open heart surgery may be necessary.

Only severe aortic stenosis requires surgery and some children may have the condition without showing any symptoms.  The obstruction can also be within the vessels themselves – aortic coarctation. In this case the narrowing is within the artery and effects supplies of blood to different parts of the body.  This defect may not be picked up until the patient is quite old.

Rarely, only one ventricle is present or both the pulmonary artery and aorta come from the same ventricle. The right or left side of the heart may be incompletely formed, known as hypoplastic heart.

STROKE
There are two types of stroke – those caused by blood clots in the brain and those that occur when blood vessels burst.  In both cases, the brain is starved of oxygen, damaging or killing cells.  Sufferers are often left with difficulty talking, walking and performing other basic tasks.

A burst vessel accounts for 20% of strokes, a clogged vessel (where a clot may lodge) accounts for 80% of strokes

A blockage is called a cerebral thrombus or cerebral embolism and can be caused by atherosclerosis – hardening of the arteries.

In both types of stroke – those caused by blood clots and those caused by burst blood vessels – blood supply to the brain is interrupted, depriving the cells of oxygen and other nutrients. The cells are then damaged or die.

Mini-strokes, or transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs), may be a warning sign of an imminent full-blown stroke.

Embolic

In an embolic stroke, a blood clot – or embolus – forms somewhere in the body, usually the heart, and travels through the bloodstream to the brain.  Once in the brain, the clot eventually travels to a blood vessel small enough to block its passage. The clot lodges there, blocking the blood vessel and causing a stroke.

Thrombotic

In the other form of blood-clot stroke, blood flow is impaired because of a blockage to one or more of the arteries supplying blood to the brain – a thrombus.  The process leading to this blockage is known as thrombosis and strokes caused in this way are called thrombotic strokes.

In atrial fibrillation, where the two upper chambers of the heart – the atria – quiver instead of beating properly, blood is not properly pumped out of the heart. As a result it may form clots and if the clot becomes lodged in an artery in the brain, a stroke may result.

The American Heart Association says arond 15% of strokes are caused in this way.

Blood clot strokes can also happen as the result of unhealthy blood vessels clogged with a build up of fatty deposits and cholesterol.   The body regards these build ups as multiple, tiny and repeated injuries to the blood vessel wall and reacts as it would to bleeding from a wound, by forming clots.

  • The symptoms of stroke:
  •  Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, particularly if it is on one side of the body
  •  Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
  •  Sudden difficulty with walking, dizziness, loss of balance or co-ordination
  •  Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
  • Sudden severe headache with no known cause

Anyone identifying themselves or friends or family as having a stroke should call emergency services, not a GP, as any delay reduces the chance of a full recovery.   The speed of treatment after a stroke is extremely important as the longer the brain cells are deprived of oxygen, the more damage they will suffer.

Treatment

Clot-busting drugs can be used in the first minutes or hours – up to a maximum of three hours – after an ischaemic stroke to dissolve the clot.  After this time aspirin, which is not as powerful, may be given.

Survival rates are better for patients in specialist stroke units, because of the expert nature of staff and early use of rehabilitation, but such units are not always available.  Rehabilitation programmes will be given to most stroke patients to help them recover lost mobility and speech.

Stroke – haemorrhagic

In around 20% of cases, strokes are caused by ruptured blood vessels leaking blood into the brain – haemorrhagic strokes.

Both types of stroke – those caused by blood clots and those caused by burst blood vessels – interrupt the supply of blood to the brain, depriving the cells of oxygen and other nutrients. The cells are then damaged or die.

Strokes caused by the breakage or “blow-out” of a blood vessel in the brain are the result of a cerebral aneurysm – ballooning of a weakened blood vessel in the brain – which is left untreated, high blood pressure, or a cluster of abnormally formed blood vessels (arteriovenous malformation).

Aneurysms develop over a number of years and do not usually cause detectable problems until they break.

Types of haemorrhagic stroke

There are two types of haemorrhagic stroke - subarachnoid and intracerebral.

In an intracerebral haemorrhage bleeding occurs from vessels within the brain itself. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the primary cause of this type of haemorrhage.

In subarachnoid haemorrhage, an aneurysm bursts in a large artery on or near the delicate membrane surrounding the brain. Blood spills into the area around the brain which is filled with a protective fluid, causing the brain to be surrounded by blood-contaminated fluid.

The symptoms of stroke are the same as above.

Treatment

The speed of treatment after a stroke is extremely important as the longer the brain cells are deprived of oxygen, the more damage they will suffer.

Clot-busting drugs and aspirin must not be given to patients who have suffered a haemorrhagic stroke. A CT scan or MRI scan will identify the type of stroke suffered.   Treatment of haemorrhagic stroke is less developed than that of ischaemic stroke.

A Medical Research Council trial is currently underway into treatment to remove blood clots surgically and drugs which prevent damage to brain cells during haemorrhages are being tested.

Survival rates are better for patients in specialist stroke units, because of the expert nature of staff and early use of rehabilitation, but such units are not always available.

Rehabilitation programmes will be given to most stroke patients to help them recover lost mobility and speech.

Conclusion

Not great reading ! how can you prevent any of these heart diseases from occurring ?

Well, as you will notice there are some types of heart disease that you cannot be responsible for, or do anything about, such as those you were born with. 

Of course, I would say here that it starts with the parents, all parents should be in a completely fit and healthy state before they consider trying to conceive this would reduce the risk of their beautiful child being in a compromised state of health during its life – who could ask for more than that, a great start in life gives greater opportunities.

Those diseases we can be responsible for start with what we are eating and drinking and of course smoking.

I have outlined in my books, the website and articles contained a better way to a healthy heart and of course a life full of health and vitality.

Who could not want that ! please read on or contact me for further help.

 

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Simple Test for Thyroid Function

May 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Barnes Temperature Test

Testing Metabolic Rate

A very useful tool when trying to diagnose low thyroid especially when medical tests have shown a normal range

The Barnes Temperature Test is a simple test you can do at home to help indicate thyroid function. Your body’s temperature reflects your metabolic rate, which is largely controlled by hormones secreted by the thyroid gland.

Who should do the test and when?

  • Women should perform this test during menstruation when female hormones (oestrogen & progesterone) are at their lowest level. Women need to start the test on the second day of their menstrual period.
  • Men and post-menopausal women may start the test on any day.
  • People with colds or conditions that would raise their temperature (e.g. fever) should wait until it subsides.
  • It is best to take your temperature over 30 days for best results

How to do the test

  • Before retiring to bed, place your thermometer by your bedside. Please read and follow instructions on package.
  • Immediately upon waking take your temperature. It is important to remain still and quiet during the reading.
  • Record the temperature and plot on graph. Keep a record for 5 days, preferably at the same time each day. Or, 30 days is good as there is more information available.

What do the results mean?

  • Temperatures averaging below 36.3 C may reflect a low thyroid status. (hypothyroidism)
  • Temperatures averaging above 36.8 C may reflect elevated thyroid status. (hyperthyroidism)

Conditions associated with hypothyroidism are:

  • or lethargy
  • Intolerance to cold
  • facial swelling general edema
  • Weight gain/loss
  • Depression, irritability, anxiety
  • Poor memory & concentration
  • Dry skin & hair
  • Headaches
  • Menstrual problems/PMS
  • Constipation, poor digestion
  • Hoarseness or slow speech
  • Recurrent infections.

Conditions associated with hyperthyroidism are:

  • Bulging eyes (Graves Disease)
  • Hyperactivity – fast pulse
  • Difficulty in gaining weight/weight loss
  • Insomnia, sleeping problems, nervousness/anxiety, irritability, palpitations
  • Menstrual problems
  • Increased sweating/perspiration
  • Hyperactivity of the bowels

It is often not easy to detect a thyroid problem despite having the symptoms associated with this as there are so many other factors surrounding this such as stress, poor diet, other sickness or disease. By completing the chart it will indicate that something is not quite right so treatment can begin.

See other associated articles and complete the online health profile for further help or book a consultation with Trisha at her UK clinic. If you need further help please contact me.

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Parasites

May 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Parasites

No one likes to think they have them but there are plenty of people that do and they can be the actual cause or contributing factor to other symptoms such as:

  • Candida
  • Chronic Fatigue
  • Tired all the time
  • Bloating
  • IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
  • Other digestive disturbances
  • Fybromyalgia
  • Weight loss
  • Weight gain
  • Hormonal imbalances
  • Cancer
  • Liver and kidney problems
  • Asthma and other respiratory symptoms
  • Eczema

Parasites are organisms that invade the body and feed off the nutrients you eat.

Where do you get them from?

Absolutely anywhere! it used to be that people only picked up parasites when abroad from contaminated drinking water or food, but of course with foreign travel being more accessible than ever, imported foods, junk food and poor hygiene, it is perfectly possible to become infected at any time. Parasites can be transmitted by insects, pets, birds in the garden (remember when feeding them how full of parasites they are !)improperly cooked meat, water, fresh foods from other countries and other people.

Possible symptoms of a parasite infection

  • Bloating and gas
  • Indigestion or heartburn
  • Diarrhoea and/or constipation
  • Fatigue
  • Nausea
  • Foul smelling stools of irregular shape and consistency
  • Blood or mucus in the stool
  • Anxiety / depression / mood swings
  • Respiratory problems
  • Skin rashes
  • Rectal itching
  • Gastritis
  • Fever & chills
  • Weight loss /weight gain


What can you do about it?

AT the Trisha Stewart Clinic we will take a full case history, including travel, current and previous health status and use the BEST system to check for imbalances in the body systems and organs and to find out if parasites are a causative factor.

Your medical practitioner may do a stool test which will in many cases prove negative as who knows when these bugs will decide to leave the body but it may be worth a try.

Treatment

Diet of course to help correct the normal flora of the gut and to alkalise the body as parasites cannot thrive in a clean environment. Start with the 30 day Detox programme.

Make an appointment at the Trisha Stewart Clinic.

There are special herbs with anti-parasitic properties, such as oregano, artemesia, grapefruit seed extract, black walnut, cloves thyme plus a good probiotic (not containing lactose) to help the good bacteria grow and the gut to heal.

Only work with therapists who are professionally recognised and who have been referred by someone you know.

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Proteins and their role in human health

May 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Proteins and their role in human health

The human metabolism of protein is relatively simple. When big protein molecules are eaten as food, our digestive tract break them down into their simplest building blocks. These molecules are known as amino acids. Because of the complete digestion of proteins into simple amino acids, the source of the protein is not of critical importance. A body does not know the difference between protein from plant sources or meat. After digestion, the amino acids from peanuts look identical to those from meat. As long as certain amino acids are not deficient from the diet the body can synthesize what it needs from the basic components (see below).

It must be noted that protein is seldom found in a pure form. In the natural world, protein is often found in foods mixed with fats i.e. meat or plants. In the above examples, the structure of the amino acids in peanuts is identical to those in meat, but the fat content is very different.

Protein is found throughout the body—in muscle, bone, skin, hair, and virtually every other body part or tissue. It makes up the enzymes that power many chemical reactions and the haemoglobin that carries oxygen in your blood. At least 10,000 different proteins make you what you are and keep you that way. efaimage_4jpg

Twenty or so basic building blocks, called amino acids, provide the raw material for all proteins. Following genetic instructions, the body strings together amino acids. Some genes call for short chains of amino acids, others are blueprints for long chains that fold, origami-like, into intricate, three-dimensional structures.

Because the body doesn’t store amino acids, as it does fats or carbohydrates, it needs a daily supply of amino acids to make new protein.

There are two types of protein:

  1. Essential, these cannot be synthesised in the body(the body cannot make them), they must be included in the diet. They are Isoleucine, methionine, tryptophan, leucine, phenylalanine, valine, lysine thronine
  2. Non essential, these can be synthesized by the body (the body makes them). They are alanine, cystine, hydroxyproline, arginine, glutamic acid, praline, asparagines, glutamine, serine, aspartic acid, glycine, tyrosine, cysteine, histidine.

Protein sources are primarily found in their:

  1. Complete form in meat, fish, eggs, soya beans, milk and milk products.
  2. Incomplete form – this means they do not have all the essential amino acids and have to be combined with each other, from grains (with the exception of Quinoa), pulses, legumes and vegetables.

What do Proteins do for us?

  • Contribute to the growth and repair of all the body cells and tissues, including muscles, ligaments, tendons.
  • The whole body is made up of cells and they have to regenerate and renew on a daily basis.
  • Proteins are the building blocks of life.
  • Synthesis of enzymes, plasma (blood) proteins, antibodies (immune) and some hormones
  • Provision of energy although secondary to carbs

Best sources of protein for health include whole grains, pulses (beans) legumes and some vegetables. These are also classed as slow release or complex carbohydrates so it is not hard to get all your protein, carbs and fibre in one meal. (see article on carbohydrates and fibre)

Why is it preferable not to use animal protein?

There are very many studies to state that animal protein is bad for us, the following reasons can be reasonable to accept that a diet higher in complex carbs is far more exciting than some of the possible symptoms below:

  • Higher incidence of colo-rectal cancer
  • Constipation leading to diverticulitis
  • Higher incidences of colitis or other inflammatory digestive problem
  • Headaches, bad breath
  • Raised PH acidity leading to gall stones, liver damage, kidney stones and renal damage, bone loss/osteoporosis as the body excretes more calcium to maintain mineral balance
  • Raised cholesterol
  • Higher risk of heart disease
  • Higher risk of diabetes or diabetic related symptoms
  • Higher risk of obesity in adults and children
  • Growth hormones and antibiotics used in mass producing cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry possibly causing infertility

How Much Protein do you need – well there is a debate and a half ! I have read many papers, all offering their own opinion on how much we actually need. Here are two extracts, confusing or what ?

The Institute of Medicine recommends that adults get a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight per day—that’s about 64 grams for a 160 pound adult.

Of course my argument there would be that the protein they are probably advising comes along with saturated fats, causing disease and we only have to look at the health problems people are facing by following high protein (meat and dairy) diets, kidney, gallbladder, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, to name a few.

In fact – The American Diabetes Association recommends limiting protein intake to 0.8 to 1.0 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight (roughly 10 percent of energy intake), since this may help improve kidney function; in later stage kidney disease, sticking to the 0.8 grams per kilogram minimum is advisable, WHY ? because too much animal protein is too taxing for the body, too acidic and when the body has become compromised, as in diabetes, these body systems and organs fail. A change in diet should have taken place long before disease sets in. The problem is most people do not listen to their bodies, they just keep pushing the boundaries until something breaks.

This is why I promote a vegetarian/vegan style diet. You don’t have to worry about those diseases. The body has to spend a lot of time working hard to digest, process and eliminate animal protein, time is energy, energy that could be used to exercise, walk, run, enjoy your life with, instead of that it is working hard trying to clear all the toxic waste from your body.

And, the benefits of eating a high protein diet from plant and vegetable sources is that you get the whole combo of nutrients, carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins, minerals, bioflavanoids, phytochemicals, antioxidants, what more could you really want to have.

However – There are debates surrounding nuts and their fat content, they are considered to be high in fat, which is correct, but this is non-saturated fat – yes they still have lots of calories but from a health point of view, these calories come with a whole load of benefits.

Nuts are excellent sources of protein and it has been researched that people who regularly eat nuts are less likely to have heart attacks or die from heart disease than those who rarely eat them. Several of the largest cohort studies, including the Adventist Study, the Iowa Women’s Health Study, the Nurses’ Health Study, and the Physicians’ Health Study have shown a consistent 30 percent to 50 percent lower risk of myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death, or cardiovascular disease associated with eating nuts several times a week.

How can that be ? There are several ways that nuts could have such an effect. The unsaturated fats they contain help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol. One group of unsaturated fat found in walnuts, the omega-3 fatty acids, appears to prevent the development of erratic heart rhythms. Omega-3 fatty acids may also prevent blood clots, much as aspirin does. Nuts are rich in arginine, an amino acid needed to make a molecule called nitric oxide that relaxes constricted blood vessels and eases blood flow. They also contain vitamin E, folic acid, potassium, fibre, and other healthful nutrients.

There comes a WARNING here though, eating nuts won’t do you much good if you eat them in addition to your usual snacks and meals. At 185 calories per ounce, a handful of walnuts a day could add 10 pounds or more in a year if you don’t cut back on something else.

This means having nuts instead of chocolate bars, chips or other unhealthy snack. Or try using them instead of meat in main dishes, or as a healthful crunch in salads. If you are a carnivore you will, to begin with, find it difficult to look at your plate and not see that familiar “slab” of flesh on a section of it but if you try to think of your food as nutritious and the more you can pack in of the vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, beans, the more health and vitality you have.

Take another look at the piece of “dead” food – we need lots of enzymes ! enzymes are life……

The same applies to seeds, they have similar properties to the nuts. Beans and legumes on the other hand are extremely low in fat, high in protein and fibre. They do not contain the full spectrum of amino acids that the body requires but a mix with nuts, seeds and grains means you have a complete nutritious meal. (see notes above on two types of protein)

Take this for an example:

A 6oz grilled (broiled) steak delivers 38grams of protein but it also delivers a whacking great 44grams of fat ! whilst a cup of lentils delivers 18 grams of protein but under 1 gram of fat ! but, as I have already said, those lentils will also provide you with fibre and carbohydrates plus some vitamins and minerals.

Of course, you have to plan more efficiently to get your complete protein package but stop working so hard at it, just have lots of beans, legumes, grains, nuts and seeds.

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What is all the fuss about carbohydrates ?

May 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

What is all the fuss about carbohydrates ?

Carbohydrates, also referred to as “energy foods,” are one of three calorie-containing nutrients found in foods. The other two nutrients are proteins and fats. Carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram and so does protein, but fat is more calorie-dense, containing 9 calories per gram. But that is all to difficult to work out in reality because often fat and protein are together in the same food – for instance – you carnivoires will get yours in a slab of meat, vegetarians/vegan will get theirs in nuts (although two different types of fat, see article on fats)

Carbohydrates are eventually metabolized by the body into blood glucose (see article on digestions). All cells of the body utilize glucose as the primary energy source, particularly in the brain, for which glucose provides the only source of fuel. If carbohydrates are eaten in excessive amounts the body converts the extra blood glucose into triglycerides for storage in adipose or fat cells, leading to weight gain.  So! sugar does make you fat !

Three specific types of carbohydrate are present in the foods we eat – starch, sugar and fibre, here is a brief rundown, further explanations in other associated articles.

Starch, also known as complex carbohydrate or polysaccharide, is present in foods such as cereals, whole grains, rice, pasta, potatoes, peas, corn and legumes (an incomplete list at this point)

Sugar has a simple chemical structure and is found naturally in many foods. Food sources of natural sugar include fruit, vegetables, milk and yoghurt. Foods containing natural sugars are generally very nutritious, providing many vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals (natural plant chemicals) and antioxidants. These foods also tend to be good sources of fibre, such as that found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Sugar is also commonly added to many foods in the form of white table sugar (sucrose), honey, corn syrup or fructose. However, foods high in added sugars are often referred to as sources of “empty calories,” meaning they add calories to the diet but provide little benefit in terms of vitamins, minerals or fibre.carbo_1

Fibre, also a carbohydrate, is found in foods of plant origin and is beneficial to the body in numerous ways. I will be brief in this article section but see the article on Why Choose a High Fibre Diet.

Fibre improves elimination by increasing stool bulk, thereby preventing constipation, and is associated with decreased risk of developing colon cancer and of course diverticulitis, haemorrhoids and fissures. Foods high in insoluble fibre include legumes, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Fruits, vegetables, oat bran, legumes, barley, nuts and seeds are all good sources of soluble fibre. A real bonus is that fibre-rich foods are processed by the body more slowly than lower-fibre foods, keeping hunger at bay for longer. This will help with overall calorie reduction and promote weight loss.

Here is a list of carbohydrates that include sugars, starches and fibre, you will note they are foods that I recommend on a daily basis, these should become the majority part of you eating programme.

Good Carbs or complex, slow release

  • Starchy root vegetables such as pumpkin/squash, carrot, swede, beetroot, sweet potato, white potato, corn.
  • Grains, rice (wholegrain of course), quinoa, buckwheat, millet, cornmeal, couscous, whole rye, whole wheat.
  • Legumes, lentils, peas, chick peas, split peas.
  • Beans, soya, pinto, borlotti, butter, kidney, flageolot, haricot, black eye, turtle.
  • Other vegetables(although these do not have an impact on blood sugar levels) such as asparagus, aubergine/eggplant, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, courgette/zuchinni, cucumber, endive, fenel, garlic, kale, lettuce, mangetout/snowpeas, mushrooms, onions, peas, peppers, radish, rocket, runner beans, spinach, spring onions/scalliions, tomatoes (technically a fruit), watercress and so on.

Bad Carbs

Pasta, table sugar, sweeteners, soda pop, chocolate, sweets, biscuits, cakes and many types of junk food, beer and alcohol!

Yes I know they say red wine is good for you and some types of chocolate but there is more on that in other articles.

Here is an exercise for you – maybe even this is typical of your supermarket trolly !

Sit at the end of most checkouts in the supermarket and look at the large trollies filled with loads of white bread, gallons of fizzy pop, ready made pizza, microwave dinners, cakes, biscuits, chocolates, sweets, crisps, bags of sugar to add to foods, sugar loaded cereal (even so called healthy cereal), white rice, pasta , tinned fruits, jams, jellies, ketchup and other sauces and pickles, ready made sauces in jars, tins and packets, gallons of concentrated juice just to name but a few items !

These, believe it or not are all carbohydrates ? but they are BAD (simple or refined) and should be eaten with a health warning on them, they are empty calories, will cause you to put on weight and feel sluggish and tired. Plus, in the long term heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and of course obesity.

You are probably thinking what is she talking about, orange juice is good for us, it is not a carbohydrate it is an orange ! fruits and vegetables are carbs as well as good sources of fiber, vitamins and minerals but fruits in particular are also loaded with fructose which is natural sugar, that’s ok too but not when you have it in a concentrated form such as juice and then loaded together with all the other high sugar, simple sugars, junk sugars, junk food you are already eating, look back in that trolly !!

There may also be in that trolly a “token” vegetable/fruit section again, these are carbs/sugars, well done for spotting those but those will be the foods you leave in the fridge which will go moldy because you will be too tired to prepare it, cook it or eat it because by the time you have drunk all that fizz, eaten all the junk in the trolly your blood sugar levels will have risen and plummeted and your energy will be in serious decline.

In a nutshell

  • Refined carbs, fast release or simple sugars (see above), cause your blood sugar to rise rapidly and unless you are running around and exercising there will be too much in the blood stream so the body will dump it as fat deposits. Your blood sugar levels then crash, you will experience, lethargy, poor concentration, palpitations and/or a feeling of anxiety and even sweating, you will crave more food, coffee and other stimulants.
  • On the other hand, the slow release cards from the starchy vegetables, grains and pulses help to balance out the blood sugar levels and they release the sugars or glucose into the blood stream slowly, that is usually why porridge in the morning is far more sustaining than crunchy nut cornflakes.

The message here is ensure you get a good supply of the right type of carbohydrates to ensure a regular supply of energy and to keep you full of health and vitality.

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Read this before you eat meat again!

May 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Choosing to eat meat/poultry, dairy foods, eggs and fish.

Contrary to popular belief we do not need to eat these foods to get our full whack of protein, it does take a little more thought to put your food together but you really don’t need that slab of flesh on your plate or in that bun with onions and fries.meat_1

So what about our history of meat eating and why do we have teeth that can chew. There is many a debate as to whether or not our teeth were designed to chew meat or perhaps chew the tougher vegetables and perhaps eat more raw vegetation.

The digestive system, in my view, gives us a bit of a clue. Digestion begins in the mouth when you are chewing, the enzymes that are present are those which start to process carbohydrates, (not protein or meat), our digestive system is a very long tube with compartments doing specific jobs. (see digestive system for more explanation on this) not like that of a typical carnivore such as say a dog who has no enzymes in its saliva, and does not chew food, merely tears it into pieces big enough to swallow, the food then hits the stomach where a highly acidic environment breaks down the protein.

It is a certainty that even if early man ate meat he would have been in a contest with the animal kingdom to get his share on the day. Humans have evolved and become meat eaters but was that choice or greed? It was considered that man who ate grains was a peasant whilst he who ate flesh was a king.

There are far more important reasons not to choose meat, the overuse of growth hormones in the food chain. Antibiotics are used extensively to not only help to prevent disease but because of poor husbandry and overcrowding in cattle pens. Feeding lower but regular doses of disease fighting antibiotics has been found to increase the growth of the animal Have you ever noticed how cattle seem to be bigger than they used to be.

And of course we could look at the way animals are slaughtered it is appalling. See below for some extracts from a couple of websites. I say, don’t eat anything with a face on it !

So, what have you got besides a piece of flesh on your plate ?cow

Growth Hormones

rBGH bovine growth hormones are injected into cattle to make them grow faster and bigger.

Antibiotics

These are being used to combat the higher incidence of mastitis in cows which is a severe infection of the udder due to massive milk production caused by the use of rBGH.

Antibiotics are used in a milder form in cattle feed regularly to promote growth and with overstocking it helps to reduce disease.

Other vaccines that are being used, considered or trialled are those for foot and mouth disease, bovine TB and mad cow disease.

What a choice of cocktails – what’s for dinner tonight, a “mad cow scmozzle”, shaken or stirred !.

All of this is occuring because there is a massive market for meat production which means that cattle are reared on grain, which does not suit their digestive system as they are designed to eat and digest grass, but, it does mean they can all be crowded in pens and fed easily without the need for grass, of course where they would normally be grazing, the grain is being grown as there will be more yield per hectare than grazing would give to the animal. And of course it is far easier to add chemicals and antibiotics to grain fodder.

Chickens which are reared for their flesh are packed by the thousands into sheds where they are fed masses of antibiotics and drugs to keep them alive in such appalling conditions that otherwise they would not survive. The antibiotics, as well as preventing disease, encourage chickens to grow very quickly and to such a large size they cannot even stand up. Notice the difference in size between and organic chicken and a mass reared one. And what about the eggs ! if you are going to eat any of this, choose organic.

If you ate less flesh, no processed meat such as burgers, luncheon meat, ready meat meals, then the whole environment would change as there would be less forced farming methods.

I am not saying don’t eat meat but hopefully you will, but after reading my books and all the content on the website, I hope you will choose wisely.

This of course leads on to why not have dairy. Milk, cream, yoghurt, cheese and any other derivative of cows milk, because they are from cows reared intensively, full of chemicals and antibiotics and then processed so highly by pasteurisation and other manufacturing methods.

Changing to organic sheeps or goats produce can be more healthy because of the less intensive farming methods (possibly) or just make it easy and choose rice, soya or nut milks, coconut, creams, milks, nut cheeze (see my recipe book)

Here are a few shocking truth’s ! – these are taken from the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)

Check out their website www.handlewithcare.tv/uk

In March 2007, undercover investigators documented startling video evidence of a cruel trade in live pigs to Hawaii. During the past four years 10-15,000 Canadian and US pigs a year have endured long, gruelling journeys by road and by ship — only to be slaughtered and marketed in Hawaii as “Island Produced Pork“.

Hundreds of pigs were forced together in dark, cramped conditions, first on a truck, then a ship. They were hungry and exhausted and waited long periods for food. Motion sickness caused vomiting. The pigs stood in their own waste and endured searing temperatures, often over 38 degrees Celsius. Some even died. Those that lived – scrambled over each other as they were roughly unloaded into cramped and filthy concrete pens at the slaughterhouse.

News Update: The Handle with Care coalition welcomes the statement from the Hawaii Department of Agriculture that pigs are no longer being shipped from Canada to Hawaii. Unfortunately thousands of American pigs are still being subjected to a 4,000 km journey over five or more days from California and other US states to Hawaii, and thousands of farm animals still suffer journeys from Canada into the US. We also cannot confirm that the shipping of Canadian pigs have ceased permanently, as the fact remains that this cruel transport is perfectly legal under Canadian and US law. Please help us stop the cruel and unnecessary long distance transport of animals for slaughter today.

Every week, hundreds of millions of farm animals endure journeys, sometimes lasting days, weeks or months, in cramped conditions on their way to slaughter.

They experience stress and exhaustion, rough handling, hunger and thirst, extreme temperatures and unsanitary conditions as they are transported live across the world. As a result, the animals suffer horrific injuries, diseases are spread and many die before reaching their destination.

We already have the technology to transport fresh chilled and frozen meat, and the science to prove the welfare benefits of local, humane slaughter. For these reasons, long distance transport is not only cruel, it is unnecessary.

There is plenty more to see on their website ! it is horrific.

Here is an another horror story an extract from a report by The Humane Society – January 2008

The HSUS shared video footage with a Temple Grandin PhD, who is among the world’s foremost farm animal handling and slaughter experts. A professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University and operator of Grandin Livestock Systems. She has designed animal handling systems in many countries and written 300 articles in both scientific journals and trade periodicals and has a New York Times bestselling book, Animals in Translation. Obviously a woman with a very high degree of intelligence, integrity and knowledge of the industry. She consults with corporate’s including McDonalds and the animal agriculture industry.

Sounds like she knows what she is talking about.

For the full two page document go to www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/farm/dairy-cattle-slaughter-expert-statements.pdf

Temple said “This is one of the worst animal abuse videos I have ever viewed”. The abuse of downer dairy cows is ATROCIOUS animal cruelty.

She noted “downed” cows (those which had fallen because they were to sick to walk to slaughter !) being dragged along concrete floors with chains on and pushed with “naked” fork lift trucks. This horrendous handling practice violates both the USDA regulations for handling non-ambulatory animals and AMI (American Meat Institute) Industry guidelines.

So, before you tuck into a chargrilled steak, think about what might have happened to the poor cow who is now providing you with its flesh. Having lived in squalor, driven miles to the slaughter house where it was too sick to walk to be killed, probably inhumanely !!!

There is more, just check the internet – if you can bear to watch the video clips, it’s heartbreaking.

You could also argue that you have bought yours from an organic source, that still does not mean its arrival on your plate was any less abusive !

Go to your local farmer and see what he does, I am sure he will be pleased to show you around. You will at least know how that slab of flesh arrived on your dining table.

As always, I like you to choose wisely …… beans and rice are great !

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Fat is Good for You !

May 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The Source of Fat You Eat is Really Important

It is very clear that over the last 10 – 15 years people have been and still are consuming too much fat and oil, and not just saturated fat derived from animals but also hydrogentated fats (trans fats) that have been eased onto not just the supermarket shelves but into many of the fast foods people are consuming today.

Most people know that by eating a piece of meat they will be getting some fat with it, not the fat you can necessarily see but that which is naturally occurring – but many others do not realise the amount of hydrogentated fats (trans fats) they are consuming or the dangers; these are fats that have been chemically altered through a heat processing plant to produce a soft spreading butter or margarine or a useful ingredient in the majority of the fast food outlets today (see articles on the contents of Mcdonalds and many others).

It is madness! processing pure vegetable oils – a good source of heart-friendly unsaturates – into harmful trans fats! During manufacturing, these liquid oils have hydrogen bubbled through them in a process called hydrogenation to improve their texture, flavour and shelf life, take a look at these margarines, they will keep forever, you will never see a bit of mold on them !

But what about the oils we need in our diets to keep us healthy ? – more confusion.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are necessary fats that humans cannot synthesize, and must be obtained through diet. EFAs are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids derived from linolenic, linoleic, and oleic acids. There are two families of EFAs: Omega-3 and Omega-6. Omega-9 is necessary yet “non-essential” because the body can manufacture a modest amount on its own, provided essential EFAs are present. The number following “Omega-” represents the position of the first double bond, counting from the terminal methyl group on the molecule. Omega-3 fatty acids are derived from Linolenic Acid, Omega-6 from Linoleic Acid, and Omega-9 from Oleic Acid.

EFAs support the cardiovascular, reproductive, immune, and nervous systems. The human body needs EFAs to manufacture and repair cell membranes, enabling the cells to obtain optimum nutrition and offload harmful waste products. A primary function of EFAs is the production of prostaglandins, which regulate body functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, blood clotting, fertility, conception, and play a role in immune function by regulating inflammation and encouraging the body to fight infection. Essential Fatty Acids are also needed for proper growth in children, particularly for neural development and maturity of sensory systems, with male children having higher needs than females. The fetus and breast-fed infants also require an adequate supply of EFAs through the mother’s dietary intake.

I see newborn babies with eczema, bowel problems and they are irritable and don’t sleep well. There are many babies and toddlers with these problems, I put it down to undernourishment of the Mother, she may just not have known she needed to have a good supple of EFA’s

EFA deficiency is common in the United States, particularly Omega-3 deficiency. with most Americans not getting their minimum levels. The minimum healthy intake for both linolenic (Omega-3) and linoleic (Omega-6) acid via diet, per adult per day, is 1.5 grams of each. One tablespoon of flaxseed oil can provide this amount, or larger amounts of other linolenic-rich foods. Because high heat destroys linolenic acid, cooking in linolenic-rich oils or eating cooked linolenic-rich fish is unlikely to provide a sufficient amount.

EFA deficiency and Omega 6/3 imbalance is linked with serious health conditions, such as heart attacks, cancer, insulin resistance, asthma, lupus, schizophrenia, depression, accelerated aging, stroke, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, ADHD, and Alzheimer’s Disease, among others. I have worked with clients with these problems.

Omega-3 (Linolenic Acid)

Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA) is the principal Omega-3 fatty acid, which a healthy human will convert into eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and later into docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). EPA and the GLA synthesized from linoleic (Omega-6) acid are later converted into hormone-like compounds known as eicosanoids, which aid in many bodily functions including vital organ function and cellular activity.

Omega-3s are used in the formation of cell walls (the building blocks of all of us), making them supple and flexible, and improving circulation and oxygen uptake with proper red blood cell flexibility and function. Omega-3 deficiencies are linked to decreased memory and mental abilities, tingling sensation of the nerves, poor vision, increased tendency to form blood clots, diminished immune function, increased triglycerides and “bad” cholesterol (LDL) levels, impaired membrane function, hypertension, irregular heart beat, learning disorders, menopausal discomfort, itchiness on the front of the lower leg(s), and growth retardation in infants, children, and pregnant women.

Where can find your Omega 3’s ?efaimage_3jpg

Flaxseed oil (flaxseed oil has the highest linolenic content of any food), flaxseeds, ground flaxseed, hempseed oil, hempseeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, sesame seeds, avocados, some dark leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach, mustard greens, collards, etc.), canola oil (cold-pressed and unrefined), soybean oil, wheat germ oil, and of course fish (but I am not recommending this due to the mercury pollution in the water they swim in).

How can you be sure to get the best from your oil ?

High heat, light, and oxygen destroy EFAs, so when consuming foods for their EFA content, try to avoid cooking or heating. For example, raw nuts are a better source than roasted nuts. Don’t use flaxseed oil for cooking, and never re-use any type of oil.

Replace hydrogenated fats (like margarine), cholesterol-based fats (butter/dairy products), and poly-saturated fats (common cooking oils) with healthy EFA-based fats when possible. For example, instead of margarine or butter on your warm (not hot) vegetables, use flaxseed and/or extra virgin olive oils, adding a little pure sea salt to taste. (This tastes similar to margarine, as margarine is just hydrogenated oil with salt, take care, however with salt intake.)

Sprinkling ground or slightly crushed flaxseed on vegetables adds a slightly nutty taste. It is best to grind or crush flaxseed as whole flaxseeds are usually passed through the intestine, absorbing water only and not yielding much oil. (Flaxseed is great to get rid of constipation, but not as whole seeds, either grind them lightly to release the oil or soak them in a glass of water overnight and drink the whole thing in the morning).

Coconut oil (remember it is saturated fat) and grapeseed oil are best to use for cooking as they withstand high heat

When buying Flaxseed oil it should be kept in the refrigerator or freezer, and purchased from a supplier who refrigerates the liquid as well.

Canola oil is often used as a cheaper alternative to the healthier virgin olive and grapeseed oils. Although Canola has at least some linolenic content only use cold-pressed, unrefined canola oil. Canola was developed in Canada from the rape plant. Rape is a plant in the mustard family.

Omega-6 (Linoleic Acid)

Linoleic Acid is the primary Omega-6 fatty acid. A healthy human with good nutrition will convert linoleic acid into gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which will later by synthesized, with EPA from the Omega-3 group, into eicosanoids.

Some Omega-6s improve diabetic neuropathy, rheumatoid arthritis, PMS, skin disorders (e.g. psoriasis and eczema), and aid in cancer treatment.

Although most people obtain an excess of linoleic acid, often it is not converted to GLA because of metabolic problems caused by diets rich in sugar, alcohol, or trans fats from processed foods, as well as smoking, pollution, stress, aging, viral infections, and other illnesses such as diabetes. It is best to avoid these when possible, but it does not hurt to supplement with GLA-rich foods such as borage oil, black currant seed oil, or evening primrose oil.

What foods will supply you with Omega 6

Flaxseed oil, flaxseeds, ground flaxseed, hempseed oil, hempseeds, grapeseed oil, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, pistachio nuts, sunflower seeds (raw), olive oil, olives, borage oil, evening primrose oil, black currant seed oil, chestnut oil.

Avoid refined and hydrogenated versions of these foods.

Corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean, and cottonseed oils are also sources of linoleic acid, but are refined and may be nutrient-deficient depending on manufacture.

Omega-9 (Oleic Acid)

Essential but technically not an EFA, because the human body can manufacture a limited amount, provided essential EFAs are present.

Monounsaturated oleic acid lowers heart attack risk and arteriosclerosis, and aids in cancer prevention.

Found in these foods

Olive oil (extra virgin or virgin), olives, avocados, almonds, peanuts, sesame oil, pecans, pistachio nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, etc.

One to two tablespoons of extra virgin or virgin olive oil per day should provide sufficient oleic acid for adults. However, the “time-released” effects of obtaining these nutrients from nuts and other whole foods, is a much more efficient way of getting your daily dose.


From Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, the body manufactures other fats and compounds such as Omega-9, EPA. Some people with health problems such as diabetes, poor diets, a smoking or alcohol addiction, and so forth, have trouble making their own compounds from the two essential fatty acids.

If you wish to supplement your diet adding Flax Oil is good but also Udo’s oil is a blend of healthy oil which provides quality Omega-3, Omega-6, and Omega-9 fatty acids in a ratio considered ideal.


Suggested reading
My work is a combination of reading and research and most of all my work with clients but there will be specific books I will recommend from time to time should a person wish to read further into a particular topic. The following books, whilst not an easy read, may offer you more information if you require this.


Donald Rudin, MD, and Clara Felix. Omega-3 Oils; A practical Guide. US: Avery, 1996.

Flax oils vs. fish oil
In his book, Dr. Rudin points out that most Omega-3 studies are based on fish oil. Rudin finds this disappointing, as he has had better results with flaxseed oil in his own studies. This may be because flaxseed oil starts with the plant form of linolenic acid, ALA (alpha linolenic acid), whereas fish oil contains the animal form, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). The body makes its own DHA and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) from ALA. Although some claim that the amount of DHA made is small, the body doesn’t need much DHA. Most DHA is contained in cell membranes, and is held there with little replacement. In contrast, ALA and compounds made from it are also needed in the body for a number of essential functions. Fish oil cannot provide ALA, and therefore deprives the consumer of this critical compound. Some people feel that they need DHA or EPA as a supplement, and that’s their personal choice. However, most sources covering the different types of oil indicate that plant-based Omega-3s, or ALA, is the better choice.


Andrew L. Stoll, MD. The Omega-3 Connection. New York: Fireside, 2001.

Julius Fast, The Omega-3 Breakthrough Tucson, Arizona: The Body Press 1987

Udo Erasmus, Fats that Heal and Fats that Kill; Second Edition, eight printing April 1999

This is what the Vegan Society Say……

Numerous expert committees have recommended a reduced consumption of total fat by the general population. Only vegan diets generally comply with current guidelines that fat should not contribute more than 35% of the total energy intake of adults and older children.

Saturated fats contribute to high levels of cholesterol in the blood, a risk factor for atherosclerosis and heart disease, while polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) have the opposite effect. Vegan diets, containing no meat and dairy fats, are low in saturated fatty acids and high in beneficial PUFAs. Vegans consume considerably more of the essential PUFA linoleic acid than do omnivores, and approximately similar levels of the other essential PUFA, alpha-linolenic acid.

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), two non-essential PUFAs, do not occur in vegan diets. The human body can convert alpha-linolenic acid into EPA and DHA but, even so some of the body tissues of vegans contain less DHA and EPA than those of other dietary groups. The consequences of this difference, if any, are not known.

Similarly, breast milks of vegans, vegetarians and omnivores contain differing proportions of various polyunsaturated fatty acids, and these differences are reflected in some body tissues of infants. It is not yet known what, if any, effect these variations may have on the growth and development of infants.

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Smoking and the problems it can cause

May 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Smoking and the problems it can cause.

You know smoking can kill you…almost everyone is aware of that these days. But, it’s the way in which this addiction can SLOWLY kill you that is the worry…how it can reduce your ability to function normally both physically and mentally.

Lung disease, which includes lung cancer, emphysema and heart disease, are all linked to smoking. 400,000 deaths each year are caused directly by cigarette smoking (Article National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse). But there is much more to it than that smoking can cause digestive disturbances including:

Acid reflux: This is due to a weakening of the sphincter valve at the lower end of the oesophagus, which is the tube from the mouth to the stomach. When this is weakened it causes stomach acid to come back up through this pipe. Unfortunately this pipe, unlike the stomach, cannot withstand acid…so it burns and weakens the mucus membrane lining. This may cause cancer of the oesophagus or cancer in the oral cavity.smoking_1

Peptic and duodenal (stomach) ulcers: While studies are not totally conclusive that smoking causes these ulcers, there appears to be a direct link. Although people don’t chew cigarettes, they put them in their mouth and cause movement of the jaw. You then get the production of enzymes in the mouth and the stomach as if something is being eaten. So the acid and other juices of the digestive system are working all the time, over stimulating the acidity of the stomach and with a weakened sphincter valve you can see how and why the acid comes back up.

Liver disease: This is again not conclusive, but the toxins from cigarettes go into the body and some system or organ has to deal with it. You may be aware at how linked our systems and organs of the body are…so it just makes sense. Look, we take in enough pollution that we can’t control, but you can control this.

Gallstones: They are caused by an over acidic system or the bodies inability to deal with the amount of acid being produced through the types of food being eaten. Smoking, as we have said above, can help to create an over acidic system.

Chron’s disease: It is said is linked to smoking. My opinion is that Chron’s diseases, sometimes misdiagnosed for other intestinal problems, is not caused by smoking, however, you are reading here and in other parts of this book how the digestive system“works and how degeneration of this system by smoking or not can affect the whole of our body and as a consequence our quality of life. Chron’s is a very debilitating disease

Below is a list of few of the chemicals contained in a cigarette!!

  • Acetone
  • Cyanide
  • Aluminium
  • DDT/Dieldrin
  • Ammonia
  • Ethenol
  • Arsenic
  • Formaldehyde
  • Benzene
  • Hydrogen cyanide
  • Butane
  • Lead
  • Cadmium
  • Methanol
  • Carbon monoxide
  • Nicotine
  • Carbon dioxide Tar
  • Chloroform Vinyl
  • Chloride

Would anyone in their right mind put all those chemicals in the body? It’s certainly not a great list of health ingredients, is it? And, remember how I talk about the build up of heavy metals in your body? Here is aluminium again!

If you want to give up smoking, just do it. There are countless support programs and products to help you.

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