Health Advice......from 1967

Here's to good health!

While I was at my mum's last weekend, sorting through old comic and books that I had as a child, I came across one of several Ladybird books called "Your Body".  Inside it gave explanations to various stages of our development, how various parts of our body work etc, the final 2 pages were given over to good health and after reading it I started thinking that despite all our technological and medical advances since this book was published (1967) despite all the fad diets, a revolution in exercise and fitness and the contradictory nature of so much research to do with health, our diet etc, what this book says, in a nutshell, is so simple and relevant still today, so I'm going to copy it for you and let me know what you think.

Your body is a highly efficient machine, wonderfully packed inside your skin, and in good health is natural and normal.  But you can help by being sensible.

People differ in the amount of sleep they need but a general rule is that at 6 years old you need 12 hours, at 10, ten hours; at 14, 9 1/2 hours and at 17 and older, 8 hours.  Go to bed before you are "tired out", and if you find it difficult to wake up you need more sleep.

Proper food is vital, a correct fuel is to an engine.  Remember that fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and milk are good for you.  If you must eat between meals have fruit or nuts, sweets can ruin your teeth.

Regular exercise is necessary, especially when you are growing.  Muscles need it; it makes your blood flow faster and the deep breathing is good for your lungs. The rules of health are simple; clear the bowels every day at the same time; wash well, clean teeth, nails and hair.  Work hard, play hard and be sensible about the rules of health, don't be silly enough to smoke and your body will give you the greatest blessing of all - good health!

Did you enjoy that?  It still makes alot of sense, don't you think? (I must admit I read it envisaging it being read by one of those Pathe newsreel reporters, all very frightfully frightfully wot wot!)
Here's to good health, old bean

I'm ditching the dairy

Time to ditch the cow's milk? If you are struggling with your weight, have IBS, suffer with angry breakouts on your skin or debillitating headaches?  If so, then this may be a question you should be asking yourself.  If you're feeling especially brave, try ditching the dairy altogether. So what can be used as a milk substitute?   I'm going to try this myself, and give almond milk a go, made from water and finely ground almonds that are strained to remove skins and sediment, producing a milk high in essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E which is effective in preventing cancer.  It is also lactose free and an ideal drink for veggies as it contains no animal products. As a kid, I was encouraged to drink my milk for strong bones and teeth and can you remember being given a free bottle a school at break time?  I hated this if only for the fact I didn't like the cream on  .the top and would try to tip it somewhere or give it to a friend.  Nowadays, women at risk of osteoporosis are encouraged to drink the white stuff to prevent brittle bones.  Strangely though, western society, which sees countries containing some of the biggest milk consuming nations in the world, have the highest number of fractured his in women over 50!  The cause?  Poor bone density!  So how can this be, if collectively we are drinking so much of calcium rich dairy milk. Basically, animal protein, unlike that derived from plants, increases the acidity of the blood and tissues of the body, which itself prefers a more alkaline environment.  In order to reduce its acidity, the body uses calcium.  Where does this calcium come from? Yep, bones. What does this do?  Reduces the strength of them resulting in an increased risk of.....fractures.  Other conditions thought to be related to the consumption of cow's milk, include Multiple Sclerosis, and arthritis.  Dairy products also produce more mucus in the body, in the lungs, sinuses and throat, so eating dairy when you have a cold will exacerbate the situation. Dairy is also frequently flagged as a cause of many food allergies.  Switching to a skimmed or semi skimmed variant is of no help as these contain concentrated levels of allergens. So I am going to give a non dairy milk a try and see how I get on.  There is of course soya milk as another alternative to dairy.  Let me know if you have made the change from dairy milk, as I'd love to exchange views.

The Mechanisms of Sleep

The Mechanisms of sleep

As someone who, just recently, seems to fall asleep whenever I sit down and witnessed several clients drift off to the land of nod whilst receiving a massage this week, I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the activity we all have in common throughout our lives.

The time we spend sleeping is very important as many essential functions take place.  Long term loss of sleep can lead to serious character disorders, memory problems and abnormalities in hormonal secretions.

The process of going from awake to sleep is controlled by an internal body clock which is itself influenced by the passage of day into night.  Sleep is caused by a build up of chemical substances deep in the brain, including serotonin & melatonin which are produced during our awake time and the influence of daylight.  Without daylight, the cycle of our passage from awake to sleeping would be around 25 hours as has been demonstrated by experiments of people living in caves, space travel and the blind.  In addition, meals, travel, leisure help to regulate our biological clock to 24 hours.

Sleep Cycles

Sleeping at night is not a single continuous event, but a succession of 4-6 cycles of 90-100 minutes each.  Each cycle consists of slow wave sleep and REM sleep(rapid eye movement).  As we fall asleep, our breathing slows down, eyelids close (obviously :)) and muscle tone decreases.  We then move into a light, slow wave sleep where the breathing is deep and regular, muscle tone is low and at this point it is still easy to wake up.  This is the stage most clients get to during a relaxing body massage.  At the start of the night, this period lasts only a few minutes whilst at the end of the night, anything up to 45 minutes.  Deep slow wave sleep follows, breathing and heart rate are low and all muscle movements have ceased and the sleeper no longer reacts to sounds.  Waking up is difficult, and if occurs, can mean the sleeper experiences tiredness during the next day.  This stage lasts 30-60 minutes at the start of sleep, then only a few minutes later during the night.  REM sleep is a stage of agitated sleep with rapid eye movements, changing facial expressions, variations in breathing, intense brain activity.  This is the period where dreams occur and all the info gathered during the day is memorized.  Initially this stage lasts 2-3 minutes, increasing later in the night to 20 minutes.  Each cycle is ended by a phase where the sleeper wakes for a few minutes.  This waking can be real or virtual, it is a feeling of pleasantness and of being rested.

So while we are sleeping, what is actually happening to our body's?  The muscles at rest during slow wave sleep receive a large amount of oxygen and nutrients including high energy molecules that will fuel them the next day, whist also eliminating waste such as lactic acid.  Our hormones also go to work during sleep with higher levels of renin (controls arterial blood pressure), prolactin (hormone of desire and lactation) and growth hormone.  Cortisone(relating to stress in the body) and melatonin (that which helps us to sleep) are at their lowest around 3am.  Our memories are made as we sleep;during deep sleep data from our previous day is sorted and stored whilst connections to old memories is made during REM sleep.

We all know someone who has had insomnia even if we haven't had it ourselves.  Sufferers can experience both physical and mental health consequences.  There are several types of insomnia; 

1. Occasional insomnia (1-2 nights from time to time for a person who normally sleeps well) is the most common and is usually caused by worry
2. transient insomnia may last a few days to a week.  It, too, is caused by a particular stress or worry in the person's life
3. Primary chronic insomnia does not have any defined physical or mental causes.  It is the result of being conditioned into thinking sleep is a bad thing and is awake for long periods throughout the night if sleep is attained at all.

Although not a cure by any means, a relaxing gentle massage is a proven fix to giving someone with the first two types of insomnia, some welcome release and acts as an aid to a restful nights sleep.  Clients who fall asleep on the couch, come back to me and said that they slept wonderfully following their treatment.  Massage works on both the nervous and hormonal systems to release tension and stress, flooding the body with anti stress hormones and encouraging the body to want to curl up under a blanket and have a good sleep.

Vitamin K

VITAMIN K

Tell me something about Vitamin K.  We've all heard of it I'm sure but do you actually know anything about it, what it does, what foods it can be found in?  Ask anyone about about Vitamin A,B,C, D etc and you're likely to get some feedback about them but Vitamin K, I for one am at a loss.  So on your behalf (and mine) I've done a bit of googling and this is what I've come up with.

Vit K is a fat soluble vitamin that plays an important role in blood clotting and along with Vit D, in building strong bones, maintaining a healthy heart and is essential for all other body processes.  Many of us are deficient in the vitamin, much like Vit D too.  We may have sufficient to allow clotting of the blood if we cut ourselves, but evidence suggests that above that, we all fall short when it comes to maintaining a healthy state of being.  A deficiency of VIt K can lead to varicose veins (damn, is that why I've got one on my left calf?), osteoporosis, some forms of cancer, certain kinds of dementia, and tooth decay.

There are 3 types of Vit K

1. K1 is found natually in plants, especially green veg.  K1 goes straight to the liver and is important for the blood clotting process.
2. K2 is made from bacteria that live in the intestinal tract.  It goes straight to our blood vessels and bones.
3. K3 is a synthetic form that many scientists frown upon as it has been linked to toxicity when injected.

It appears K2 is the most important type and the best one to go for if looking for a Vit K supplement.  It prevents hardening of the arteries.  It also helps prevent osteoporosis as it acts as a "glue", enabling calcium and other minerals to bond themselves onto bone tissue.  In order for the vitamin to be absorbed by the body, you must have some fat to accompany the K2 rich food your are eating or supplement you are taking.

So the vitamin is found in green leafy veg, fermented foods contain high amounts, raw butter, meat from grass fed animals.
People who should look at introducing Vit K into their diet by some means include;

• Eating a poor or restricted diet
• Suffering from Crohn's disease and other digestive/intestinal complaints
• Taking antibiotics longterm, cholesterol drugs or aspirin

So there you have it.  I hope you found something interesting to take from this, I know I have got a few cogs creaking in my brain over a few health issues of my own.  Let me know your thoughts :)

Travel healthily this summer

TRAVEL HEALTHILY THIS SUMMER

We all know that when we travel overseas, the sanitation in some countries is far below what we expect in the UK, and that we SHOULD take precautions but sometimes forget to do so.

Before you go check with your GP if you require any jabs for the country you are visiting.  Allow several weeks before you travel to enable the vaccination to get into your system.

Prepare yourself a first aid kit to pack in your case; Include anti-diarrhoea and rehydrating products, antihistamines to combat allergies and insect bites, a laxative, antiseptic cream for burns, grazes, antiseptic eye lotion, aspirin/paracetamol for pains, fever, HANGOVER, bandages and plasters, anti-mosquito product, sun block, condoms, scissors.

When you arrive at your destination, be aware that in some countries the drinking water is not safe so avoid drinking from the tap or using it for brushing teeth.  You can boil the water and add water purification tablets.
In hot countries it can be best to avoid eating salads.  Choose fruits that require peeling to avoid ingesting any germs.  Avoid having ice placed into your drinks in the event it has been made from local tap water.

If you are travelling within the EU, ensure you have a European Health Insurance Card, as this will entitle you to state provided medical treatment in the country you are in for FREE.  The card is also free to obtain.  Get yourself good travel insurance too and finally........have a great and safe too. 

Love your Vitamin A

VITAMIN A

Vitamin A is also known by the name Retinol and plays an important part in the every day functioning of the body.  It helps with the working of the immune system, helping our bodies to fight infections and diseases. It enables us to see better in dim light and is vital in keeping our skin and the linings of some internal organs healthy eg the nose.

Good sources of Vitamin A include cheese, eggs, oily fish, butter, milk & yoghurt.  Liver is also a good source of the vitamin provided you do not eat it more than once a week, due to the richness of the vitamin within liver.  I'm sure we've heard the tale of the hunter who killed and ate a Polar bear's liver which killed him as the bear's liver was very rich in Vitamin A.

You can also ensure you have sufficient levels of the vitamin by including foods with beta-carotene within them;  think red, green, yellow leafy vegetables, (peppers, carrots, spinach), yellow fruit such as mango and apricots.

Unlike some vitamins & minerals, you do not need to consume it every day, as any surplus the body has, it stores until it is required.

Vitamin C

VITAMIN C

Also known as ascorbic acid, this vitamin is an essential ingredient for a healthy body and is found in fresh fruit & vegetables.
Most of us grab something filled with vitamin c when we have a cold, but what other conditions benefit from taking this vitamin?  Quite a few to be honest; acne, bronchitis, HIV, dysentery, boils, TB, and infections of the bladder and prostate.  It can also be taken to alleviate depression, physical & mental stress, fatigue and ADHD.  Eating Vitamin C also increases the amount of iron absorbed from our foods.  There is also evidence that Vit C can also protect the heart and blood vessels, aiding in a reduction in the risk of stroke and heart attacks.  Physical endurance is improved by having vitamin c in our diet as well as an aid to reducing the signs of aging as it helps to support the cells of the body including collagen which when they begin to deplete, cause fine lines and wrinkles to form.

Smoking reduces the levels of Vitamin C in the body
To ensure my levels of this vitamin are topped up, I take a Vit C supplement every day, my favourite one is by Quest, available from most independent health food shops.