Yesterday I cried on stage. I have been speaking now for two years to audiences and never have I felt the wave of emotion that swept over me yesterday. I had the pleasure of speaking the Women's Wellness Expo in Rockhampton. Before my turn to hop up on stage and talk about hormonal health in women, I had the most amazing privilege to listen to a panel of indigenous women share their honest thoughts and feelings during question time on what it is like to be a woman. They spoke of the highs, lows, their fears and their achievements. They also mentioned the word shame. It struck a chord and obviously stayed in my head as I walked up on stage. Most talks I give detail our health journey and I touch on the financial, physical and emotional impact our time dealing with the obvious stressors of illness. However out of my mouth yesterday came words I never imagined. Feelings suppressed for some time bubbled up and came out and they were around shame. For the first time I spoke honestly about my personal struggle with ante-natal and post-natal depression which I think the depth of my struggles were only known by my husband. During my second pregnancy I developed ante-natal depression. I didn't even realise this was possible until well after the birth of my child. I spent days curled up on a bed with my toddler bringing puzzles and books to me. I didn't want to speak, I didn't want to lift my head. My toddler learnt how to find food for herself as I couldn't face the walk down stairs to feed her. I would put on a "normal" face as I went to mum's group or obligatory appointments which took every ounce of energy out of me and would see me curling back up in a ball with my toddler when we returned home. I didn't feel how you were "meant" to when pregnant. There was no excitement, I had this feeling of impending doom. I certainly wasn't the smiling glowing mum-to-be on the front of all the pregnancy magazines. I was so ashamed of how I was feeling that I never shared this with anyone although my husband could see I was not quite right. After the birth of my beautiful second baby I had a couple of weeks of switching into "new mother" mode with a quiet confidence because I had done all this before! It would be so much easier! For those two weeks all those feelings I had experienced in pregnancy were replaced with joy and love for this new little person. But then it came back. It not only came back but it returned with interest... I had terrible troubles feeding my child and she screamed almost all day as she was suffering reflux. Sleep went out the window along with any sanity I had left. I started experiencing manic episodes of ironing in the early hours of the morning in that snippet where she had shut eyes. I had to be a perfect mum and wife because that could distract all eyes from seeing how poorly I was coping. Yet feeding became more difficult and my struggles worsened. It wasn't until one overcast day when I set out to drive to a nearby town (for whatever reason) when I reached my emotional boiling point. I was driving along a windy coastal road with many cliffs. All of a sudden the thought of my family being so much better off without me became overwhelming. So I pulled over on the side of the road and went to unbuckle my children. But as I leaned in with my toddler asking what I was doing, I had a flash image of them being hit by a car if I was to leave them on the side of the road. This haunted me so much that I returned to my seat feeling completely empty and useless and I sat in the front seat and cried my heart out. I wasn't worthy to be a mother, a daughter, a wife or a friend. The shame I felt for not enjoying motherhood or being able to even breastfeed my child anymore was unbearable. In my eyes I didn't deserve children or the husband I had. But even worse was this overwhelming feeling that I was "weak" for falling into this trap and it was all in my mind. I knew I needed help. I rang my husband telling him I needed help; not disclosing what I had almost done until weeks later. Fortunately for me I had a child health nurse who had a very strong suspicion that I was putting on a very good front and when she was called she organised a fast track trip to my GP. The sadness and the feelings of uselessness abated over the coming months but anxiety became gripping. My husband worked 35 minutes away via a highway. Every night I would run through every worst case scenario of what could happen on the way home. He would have to ring before leaving work and if he was 3 minutes later than I expected I was beside myself and many nights I would be preparing to call the police when he would just pull in around the corner. I started to pull away from mothers group as I sat in the corner of the room feeling so so incompetent and unworthy of being there. This all went on for about 9 months. It coincided with the horrendous sleep patterns of my daughter and finally when she started sleeping in 3 hour blocks over night, I started to improve. I didn't want to remain on medication and by 12 months I had weaned off them and was feeling so much better with the added excitement of a planned house move. I thought the black dog had left me until 6 months after my third daughter's birth it appeared again. It coincided with the most horrendous hormonal symptoms and outbursts of intense anger that came seemingly from nowhere. I discovered that the best addition we could have added to our house was our walk in wardrobe which became my padded cell where I could go in and scream so so loud and no-one could hear me through the insulation of clothes!!! I had perfected masking this depression. I now had kinder drop offs and many more places to go so I learnt how to hold it together whenever I was out but there was a constant voice talking so loud to me all the time reinforcing what a phony I was and that I wasn't worthy of anything I had. This worsened over 12 months until I experienced the darkest day of my life. This was the day I had three kids in the back of my car and drove 350kms in a state of hysteria from one end of the state to the other in a feeling of shame and inadequacy. I was screwing up my kids life and my family and husband all deserved so much better. I wanted it all over then and there. I prayed on the trip home. I prayed for the police to pull me over and take my kids off me and either let me drive off the road or lock me up away from them. They deserved to be home with their dad well away from me. I will never forget this feeling and it wasn't until I was standing on stage that I felt the emotion of what had happened hit me like a lightning bolt. I share this image as it is one of the only photos taken around the time of my darkest days. I was also struck by the incredible gratitude I have for coming out of the clouds. This happened when I completely changed my diet and re-nourished my body of the gazillion nutrients that I was deficient in (especially after building and feeding three children in 3 1/2 years). To this day I still have dips but I don't spend long at all in there anymore and I look at the emotion and energy attached to what caused the dip and almost always now it is when I am doing something that I deep down don't want to do! I was overwhelmed with emotion. Perhaps by standing with tears in my eyes on that stage, just perhaps, I may have given one woman in that room hope; perhaps it could be that beautiful 16 year old girl who only minutes earlier bravely shared her admission of struggling with depression for so long.. Maybe I could have helped one of the older women who nodded back at me with tears in their eyes; words unspoken yet words not needed. What I realised from the tears that certainly bubbled over during the car journey home is that depression in any form, ante-natal, post-natal or at any stage in your life is NOT something to be ashamed of or to attach guilt to. It is not a weakness. It is not something to keep from family or friends and you are certainly not unworthy of happiness or a fulfilling life. There is so much help available and so many different ways to look at overcoming depression that may appear a little "outside the box" yet can make such a difference. Seeking help with nutrition is certainly such a high priority as nutrients are essential and healthy neurotransmitter production are vital both which are often completely out of whack in depression and mood disorders. An integrative physician can assist with important tests which can go a long way in looking at underlying biomedical reasons for depression (for further information go to http://www.walshinstitute.org/). Also consultation with a psychologist or counsellor can help look into the psychological and emotional hurdles. Something that also goes a very long way in helping is looking at complementary supports such as yoga, meditation, essential oils and numerous other healing modalities which can help shift the fog. Why am I sharing this? I have started writing this and then I have deleted it numerous times over the past 24 hours. So much of me wanted to continue to keep this locked up with the key thrown away forever. But obviously so much more of me wants to share this with others on similar journey (if I press the post button!!). I realise the more I talk openly each day, the more other women and young girls are opening up (I spend most of my time seeing women which is why my focus is on them). A problem shared is a problem halved and I think I need to share this, let go and heal. My beautiful family worth living every minute for.
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I received both of these diagnoses a few years ago following a massive period of stress. I was led to believe that it was all due to my diet, my exercise regime and my genes. I couldn't completely comprehend this..... at the time I was trying harder than ever to claim some form of a pre-baby body back after my third pregnancy and I was exercising at a high level with a personal trainer at least 5 days a week but all I found was that I was getting bigger (especially around the belly) and my fitness wasn't improving, I was getting dizzy, having palpitations and sometimes near black outs during training. I was eating what I thought at the time to be a "balanced" diet after following numerous weight-loss diets. It is not until now that I have the gift of hindsight and can look at things very differently that I see there have been red flags for a long time. There is a fair amount of physical, nutritional and emotional stress associated with growing, birthing, feeding and raising three little ones under three and a half years. Going in to those pregnancies I didn't have the understanding of the importance of PROPER (not Australian standard diet) nutrition that I have now. Add in sleep deprivation, multiple pharmaceuticals for numerous infections and illnesses, and living away from family so doing it all alone (in the most seemingly perfect way we could - that's what you do when you are a high achiever......!). My third pregnancy was filled with warnings of what I now see as adrenal exhaustion... starting with the hospitalisation for SVT (supraventricular tachycardia which is abnormal racing heart) leading to fainting followed by gestational diabetes with immediate insulin for regulation. These two are glaring signs of a combination of low cortisol along with high insulin (the hypoglycaemia episodes) then insulin resistance (leading to low insulin). Sadly I can reflect on the first few weeks (years even) of my child's life and recognise signs of weakened adrenal glands (chronic infection, changes in blood glucose control, fatigue, high toxins, food sensitivities). What is adrenal fatigue? Our adrenal glands are the main stress control organs in the body. When we are subjected to chronic stress from any source (physical, emotional, psychological or environmental) repeatedly, the demands placed by the stress can lead to fatigue of these glands. This can lead to them struggling to carry out their normal function. Signs of adrenal fatigue: * Belly weight gain - often inability to lose it * lack of energy in the mornings and in the afternoon between 3-5pm * commonly suffering from the flu and other respiratory illnesses and the illness lasts longer than usual * reduced sex drive * trembling under pressure * unable to remember things * need stimulants - coffee, sugar, exercise to "buy" energy especially in the morning and afternoon * craving salty, fatty and high protein foods such as meat and cheese * lightheaded * increased PMS symptoms * fibromyalgia * chronic fatigue * hypoglycaemia * food sensitivities Adrenal fatigue often presents as a collection of these symptoms. It can be a debilitating condition which has four stages which advance in severity leading to adrenal exhaustion. Adrenal Exhaustion Adrenal exhaustion is a very serious presentation often a domino effect of hormonal, immune, neurological, musculoskeletal, metabolic, detox and gastrointestinal presentations including: * metabolic syndrome (high BP, central obesity, low HDL, high triglyceride) * hypoglycaemia (needing to sleep after meals), glucose intolerance (pre-diabetes) * Type 2 Diabetes * Detoxification dysfunction - impaired detoxification of metabolites and toxins leading to fatigue, brain fog, insomnia, depression, chronic fatigue, muscle pain, tingling in hands - food allergies/food sensitivities, multiple chemical sensitivities - interstitial cystitis - irritable bowel - candidiasis (candida albicans infections) * Musculoskeletal system breakdown - chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, joint pain * Neurological dysfunction - sleep disorders, brain fog, anxiety, depression * Hormonal imbalance - oestrogen and progesterone imbalance (low progesterone leading to oestrogen dominance) - thyroid hormone imbalance (hypothyroidism) * Androgen imbalance - increased testosterone to DHT conversion leading to skin inflammation, acne and hair loss * Immune system (both hypo and hyper functions) - mast cell disorders, autoimmune disorders, frequent infections. (Dr Lam). Ways to improve adrenal health: * Seek advice from a health professional * Diet changes - removing all processed sugars, refined carbohydrates, GMO foods such as corn, soy and wheat, toxic oils, artificial preservatives and additives. Eating good quality protein (grass fed and organic meats and fats), good fat consumption (healthy fats), lots of vegetables especially greens, nuts and seeds soaked for optimal absorption. Herbs especially adaptogenic herbs are useful for support. * Removing as many toxins and chemicals in your house and personal products. Supporting liver detoxification with herbs and nutrient supports. * Sleep, sleep, sleep and rest - essential and even more so with adrenal issues. * Exercise - not high intensity as this can further stress the adrenals but low intensity movement such as yoga is beneficial. * Find ways to destress that work for you - mindfulness, breathing exercises, spending time in nature, changes to current lifestyle and support from a counsellor/therapist/healer. Adrenal issues are very real and are widespread across society. With good support, rest, healing advice, learning more about your constitution to stress and how to manage stressors recovery is possible. Patience is the key! As far as my metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes go, I am no longer diagnosable as either following diet change and many changes to our lifestyle however I am very aware of the effect stress has on my blood sugar levels..... What impact has low-fat eating had on women's health?
How many of you were a kid in the late 70's/1980's and grew up eating low fat everything? Low fat milk, cheese, yoghurt, no avocados, no chicken skin, no eggs..... does this sound familiar to anyone else? Fat is a macronutrient essential for human development since our first walking day on Earth. Why after 2.3 million years would we all of a sudden remove it from our diet? That answer lies unfortunately in the "science" and reporting in the 1960's. The more important question to ask however is what has this done to our health and how can we turn this around? Removing dietary fat has been described as possibly the worst nutritional advice in human history by physicians and researchers. Not only was it recommended to permanently live low fat/high carb, but the case of trying to lose a few kilos, fat was almost TOTALLY restricted. Yet looking physiologically and biochemically; fat is not making us fat..... Dietary fat is super important for brain function, creating and maintaining almost every cell in our body, storage of vitamins, energy and it is ESSENTIAL to make our steroidal hormones. Steroidal hormones are made in "steroid glands" such as the adrenal glands, ovaries, testes and the placenta in pregnancy. Hormones produced include testosterone, oestrogen, progesterone and cortisol. We need them to maintain pregnancy, control our response to stress, regulate our salt and water excretion by kidneys, regulate our sexual function and they influence our response to inflammation. How could this look today for a woman who has grown up low fat: * hormonal issues of any type - changes in testosterone, progesterone and oestrogen * difficulty conceiving or maintaining a pregnancy * reduction in tolerance to stress - high likelihood of "burnout" or adrenal fatigue - exhaustion * increase in inflammation in gut, vessels and organs * changes in microflora of the gut - can lead to inflammation of gut, leaky gut, food intolerances, autoimmunity, allergies, sensitivities, ezcema * secondary hypothyrodism to adrenal insufficiency (can lead to elevated LDL, anemia, * mood disorders including anxiety, depression, teariness, anger Then we go and build a baby......... a baby who has a brain which is composed of almost 60% fat, a baby who is built from the dietary fats of the mother. It stands to reason to ask what effect has low fat for a generation in women had on their children? Especially in brain health, inflammation, behavioural issues, developmental issues, gut health and hormonal health. What can we do for our health and the health of our children? Eat fats and oils sourced from nature - include with most meals fat/oil of some description such as: * flaxseed oil * avocados * nuts - walnuts, brazil nuts, almonds, macadamias, pecans, cashews * seeds - sunflower, sesame, pumpkin * coconut products * olives * eggs * wild caught fish * organic, free range, grassfed animals (conscious that there will still be the presence of the animals hormones especially if trying to minimise excess oestrogen). Fats/Oils to avoid (man-made and highly processed sources): * farmed fish (hormones, antibiotics added) * yellow polyunsaturated oils in a clear plastic container including canola oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, rice-bran oil, sesame oil - this is the GMO processed form(cold pressed used on salads is great), rapeseed oil, sunflower oil (again cold pressed in dark glass can be used on salads) * margarine and fake butters. The great thing about adding these beautiful fats and oils from nature is they go a long way in satiating us so you may find you are full sooner and have less time between pantry trawls. Dear Google,
I wish to study parenting. Can you please search for a reputable Bachelor of Parenting program? It must also have the option for further post-graduate study; I love research. You see, I am going to be a mother and I need to learn everything I can. Yours sincerely, Anita Bachelor of Science Bachelor of Applied Science (Medical Radiations) Graduate Diploma Human Nutrition Graduate Diploma Psychological Science (incomplete) Master of Medical Ultrasound (incomplete) (aka Professional Student) In the absence of any formal study available, I instead purchased every book I could lay my hands on to study how to best rear the little precious being growing inside. A birth plan was written, amended, re-written, typed, packed and reviewed. Little did I know it wouldn’t make it out of the excessively stocked suitcase that followed me to hospital. Despite wanting to control everything, the Universe had other plans; and so did my daughter! This was the first symbolic lesson in discovering that this parenting gig was going to challenge my level of expectation. It was the first of many….. Three years after the birth of our third and youngest child, I was still unable to match our life and circumstances to any textbook. I searched scientific, medical and parenting literature to answer all my questions. I listened to the advice of everyone around me who all seemed to know what my children needed more than I did. With nowhere left to search I was filled with self-doubt, self-pity and little desire to do anything anymore. If I couldn’t find our answers in literature or case studies or from the mouths of professionals then how would I ever understand what is happening to our family as illness mounted in myself and my children. Through sheer exhaustion I surrendered. It was in the silence of surrender, I came to discover something called intuition. For the first time I didn’t suppress the thoughts, the coincidences occurring and the feelings of knowing what was right for us. Intuition led us down the path less travelled into a dense forest of questioning and knowing (rather than structured learning!). Magical people came into my life in the forest; whether for a day, a week or they still walk beside me. As a family we waved goodbye to the huge fog that lifted when we introduced a way of eating that is all food from nature free of “humanising”. A further 4 years after this first discovery of intuition I learnt the time had arrived to really break away from my lifetime safety net of strict science and leave the herd to discover pearls of wisdom which have changed the way I approach day to day life and it has freed our whole family. As I stood back and quietly observed life through my children, I was shocked. I noticed that our current way of life is supressing our children. We all enter this realm perfect, inspired, individual spirits however the moment we arrive, we are channelled into one universal mould and essentially into one uniform being. Once moulded, we are expected to behave in a particular way, learn a particular way and if we don’t conform in this particular way then we are often labelled and singled out; hence being completely negated. Then decades go by where we simply exist. Work, pay bills, come home watch the news, holiday occasionally repeat. This is how it should be isn’t it? Seems a little harsh I know but I can recall the exact moment I watched the spark in my kids eyes dim. Their wings were clipped as they conformed to society’s expectations and through the sheer fact they were going through the motions of our modern day to day life, they were unable to do less of what they enjoyed and more of what was expected. But no more. Amazing how it can take just one question from the mouth of an innocent child to prompt you to question everything. “Mummy what do you love to do?” A simple enough question, yet one that I really struggled to answer. I couldn’t come up with one thing that would make me bounce out of bed in the morning. The realisation that everything I did was based on expectation, obligation, fear or even guilt. BIG A-ha moment! So there began the journey of self-discovery; finding that spark inside. As a family we were listening, looking and feeling for our brilliance; it is in all of us. I choose to bounce out of bed each day with a heart filled with gratitude and love for everyone and everything and there is a BURNING desire to help women all around me.. How blessed I am to have smashed my mould which means I am here doing exactly what I WANT to be doing. My hope for my children is that they travel through life in pursuit of fulfilling their dharma (life purpose) and living their dreams. What more can any parent wish for? This little gem is a school friendly recipe containing no nuts, no eggs and for those extra dietary requirements is also dairy and grain free.
Ingredients for the base:
Mix all ingredients in a food processor or blender and scoop onto a sandwich press (we love using the press to make these) or into a medium heat pan with coconut oil. Cook until firm on both sides. Toppings shown here (not nut free) - you can use any of your own toppings for school. Green pesto as the "sauce base"-
Other toppings shown are roast capsicum and sundried tomato mash, chopped red and green capsicum, red onion and spinach leaves. An insight into some dinner party conversation the other night.
When did we forget that fundamentally as humans we are animals? As animals walking the planet for many millenniums, we have adapted to different conditions, environments, changing food sources, developments etc just as other animals have. Also just like other animals, our feeding and sleep patterns are determined by our circadian rhythm. I love animal watching. Here in Central Queensland we live near mangroves where thousands of flying foxes/bats reside. I take great delight in watching their sleep and feeding patterns; their nightly take off is like a dark cloud ascending just after sunset. During the day you can walk past and watch them enjoying rest time. Very rarely would you see them having an "all-dayer" munching down on some fast food! (Not saying it hasn't or couldn't happen). Even our beautiful dog starts to yawn and turn in for the night once the sun goes down. He wakes up with the sunrise and launches into the day with a great burst of energy and a re-fuel! I often like to sit and imagine what it would have been like in pre-industrial times when we didn't have "blue" light (all our screens, our household lights, TV, computers) and we became sleepy with the amber of sunset, fires and candles. Where the morning began with a re-fuel of foods that were from nature. There were no packets, no factories to make quick and easy foods. By no means am I anti-progressive but I think if we are to honour our health, it would help to understand our programming. Our circadian rhythm does more than help with sleep. It is one of the major regulatory controls of hormone production, cell regeneration, brain wave activity among other functions. How do we make hormones? We need food and sleep! We don't purchase our hormones (well not historically!). The way they are produced is by utilising components of protein, amino acids and fats. Hormones have distinct patterning of production with many increasing over night while others decrease with proper rest. We also need proper functioning cells (made out of nature derived fats and oils) with little power houses called mitochondria (our cell batteries) to produce our energy. We need to be eating food suitable for the human body and sleep in accordance to our circadian rhythm to allow us to generate the energy needed to get through the tasks of our day. Where am I going with this? Perhaps we overlook the simplicity of our needs. Just like the bats and our dog have natural food requirements and they are in tune with their circadian rhythms, we too have basic requirements. We need food that provides INFORMATION to our body, not foods that make us feel great because they are stimulating our nervous system to request more (those "treats") that have been manipulated to make us want more. The time we eat is also important as our digestion is not programmed to digest, assimilate and integrate foods after nightfall and at the other end of the day, we are primed to eat at sunrise and through the day light hours. We need sleep in a rhythm that we are biologically programmed. We cannot expect optimal health if night after night we eat into the precious time that sleeps gifts us by providing all our natural anti-oxidants and hormones to enable us to heal and regenerate. Sitting back and thinking about it, very simply speaking, we can't expect great hormonal health, optimal digestion, good energy, fertility, growth, mental health and overall systemic health if we ignore the absolute basics of our programming as animals. I can say that nearly every woman that walks through my doors displays hormonal symptoms. Inability to lose weight, mood swings, PMS, fatigue, depression, blood sugar changes, food reactions, breast cancer/changes etc.
But it is all well and good to provide hormonal treatments to try and treat the symptoms but unless that underlying gut and liver issues are dealt with these hormonal swings will NEVER go away (and we live with an increased risk of not just hormonal cancers but type 2 diabetes (insulin and leptin resistance), metabolic syndrome and some autoimmune disorders including lupus). A big explanation as to why as women with this, great eating and exercise regimes are often not enough. Estrobolome! Something women suffering any symptoms of oestrogen dominance may want to learn more about! First of all what are symptoms of oestrogen dominance?
These symptoms can further lead to:
By now you may have heard about the microbiome - this is the diverse community of bugs that inhabit our gut ecosystem. They provide us with what could be described as a second genomic blueprint (more than 99% of our genetic information comes from our bugs rather than our human genes). But have you heard of the Estrobolome? This could be integral in the presentation of all of these symptoms and disorders. This is the important link between hormonal disorders and gut health. An Associate Professor at New York University by the name of Claudia Plottel (MD) and her team have been looking in to the relationship between estrogen circulation and the microbiome - in particular how certain microbes can affect the risk of breast cancer. The research group is interested in exploring whether the microbiome contributed to the fact that "only a proportion of individuals exposed to individual carcinogens or carrying a genetic predisposition to cancer develop the disease." (Forum on Microbial Health, Washington US, 2014 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK189987/). They suggested that oestrogen-metabolising microbes may contribute to the development of oestrogen-related cancers (BRAC-1 and -2 genes) and explain why some women develop cancer and some don't despite having the genetic predisposition. But interestingly they talk about the estrobolome. This is a complete set of genes which are found in these microbes which code for enzymes that are capable of metabolising oestrogens within the human intestine. This is so so important in how our oestrogen is utilised in our bodies. These genes modulate the circulation of oestrogens within the liver, which then effects the amount of oestrogen circulating through the whole body. So when we are looking at hormonal disturbances, the gut must be considered along with the liver and ways to support and decongest. This has the potential to go a long way in explaining increased risk of many disorders and the inability to lose weight but also in explaining why despite many attempts to eat a good diet, have a great exercise regime and sleep well, there are underlying factors to be considered. Warning - another controversial topic......
Before I start, please note that I appreciate that there are many illnesses that are caused by aberrations out of our control - on the most part, this post is referring to lifestyle illness in our Western world. Why in our culture do we expect, accept and then live with a diagnosis? We develop attachment to it and then have certain expectations of what it looks like to be in that state of dis-ease. We expect decline and assume (in chronic illness especially) that in 10 years time we won't be able to do certain things. We don't walk out of our appointments thinking that we can do something about our health, often we accept the diagnosis and then live with it. It is easy to be defined by a label or a diagnosis. It becomes our story. We start to plan our life around it, we say we can't do things because of it; we become limited by it; sometimes we blame it. Sometimes we become so focused on searching for that label in the first place that we begin to miss the simple daily delights. We can even hand over our power to other people and think it is their responsibility to "find" what it is that is wrong. Once given a diagnosis, we may blame drugs for not working, or blame our health care providers for not making us better. What role does our culture have on our health? So many diagnoses are expected to not have a positive outcome. But how can we evaluate an expected outcome in an environment of study where we are monitored, examined and focusing on looking for signs of illness. When surrounded by health professionals looking for further signs of illness, media giving us examples of the worst case scenarios, given expected time-lines, expecting progression of the illness, how can it not do exactly that. Often we receive a diagnosis and expect to carry that with us for life. Along with a diagnosis is often a pamphlet of what we should expect. EVERY day we receive messages from our external world about being sick. Have you had your flu shot? It is a life threatening flu this year... We have a whole month of awareness of certain diseases and we are constantly reminded of the devastating outcomes of these illnesses. And don't forget to stock up on anti-histamines as next week we launch into peak hayfever season........ It goes on and on. We receive constant negative messages about getting sick and often scare-mongering. I challenge you to recall how many messages a day you receive about wellness, happiness and great health? I struggled!! Zip.... What impact is this having on our health? We are not just a physical body. Our bodies are so incredibly intelligent. They operate in a manner that works to try and keep us in a state of health given all the right conditions (and by this I don't just mean food). But completely underestimated is the power of our thought processes on the state of our health. When I see someone (and I ask myself this all the time too) with exaggerated symptoms (be it mood changes, exhaustion, lowered immunity, increased food sensitivities, gut changes, big hormonal swings etc) I have stopped thinking about the immediate physical/physiological/pathological reasons for this. I think focusing on the physical body only we are missing the elephant in the room; we are completely underestimating the impact of the emotional, psychological and energetic components of our complex beings. We are not our diagnoses. So frequently we only treat the physical symptoms. Sometimes we get lucky and using surgery, drugs, diet change and therapies we can reverse these diagnoses. But we can only truly look at curing and healing when we look at ALL the aspects of our health especially the power of thought. "Our role as parents is to guide and step aside." These are the words of Dr Wayne Dyer that resonate through me each day. One of our primary roles in guiding our children is to teach them about the power of food, it's role in helping us function as best we can in giving us the energy to do what it is that we love to do on Earth. Just for one moment take a look at your hand. Have a really close look at your nails, your knuckles, the veins on the backs of your hands. Remember that perfect little hand of your newborn child? Your hand and the hand of your child are MADE of food. Everything we eat, we become! We build those nails and skin and vessels from the proteins and nutrients in food. We also ensure they are working optimally nourishing them with the foods we eat. Taken even further, our thoughts are manipulated by the foods we consume. So why when given a choice, would we give our children man-made, nutrient deplete, imitation industry derived foods when we have a selection of nature derived foods at our disposal? How can our kids possibly reach their full potential to learn, play and become the brilliant people they are here to be when they aren't fuelled by intelligent foods?
I am often asked if I ever "treat" my kids with food. Absolutely! As much as possible. It is a real treat to pick fresh fruit off the tree, or herbs that started as a little cutting that have been nurtured with sunlight and water daily, visiting our friends farms, swapping produce with friends or going to the local berry patch and picking our own berries; that is a treat! Anticipating the ripening of tomatoes on the vine, throwing ingredients together to make a new dish and enjoying food with each other; this is a treat, in fact it is a gift. But a treat does not come from a packet, covered in preservatives, colours and flavours, sugars and manipulated ingredients. Meals laden with sugars, refined carbohydrates and man-made oils do not support optimal functioning of our kids. "Foods" that survive forever in the pantry or under the back seat of the car provide no useful information to these intricate intelligent bodies. If anything, they often provide a challenge because the body has to give up nutrients in order to process and extract the foreign ingredients. If these treat foods make it into our children every day, it becomes difficult for our them to function at their best when their body has to work to deal with the inflammation from the previous day. It is not a treat for my child to go from feeling happy and engaged to bouncing off walls, in a teary mess, lashing out with no control over any of their behaviour. So those daily treats over the course of weeks, months, years can see our beautifully perfect beings just exist rather than shine as they are intended. It becomes harder for kids to answer the question "what do you love to do" when they have a body that is dealing day to day with a sluggish immune system, hormonal disturbances, blood sugar swings, lethargy, brain fog and nutrient depletion which can arise from eating challenging "food-like" foods. I want my children to know what it truly feels to be filled with vitality and discover what it is that they love to do and are good at doing without having an underlying battle going on in their bodies just to exist and try and "stay on top of things". To live in a world where it is not "abnormal" to want to eat only nature derived foods is my greatest wish. Food is the fundamental way we can truly support our body to thrive. Food is only the beginning but an essential ingredient in the recipe of living a life of brilliance. I asked Dr Google for a definition of post-natal depression. This is what came back "depression suffered by a mother following childbirth, typically arising from the combination of hormonal changes, psychological adjustment to motherhood, and fatigue." I don't dispute this. But I think light needs to be shed on another very real yet infrequently recognised factor. This is the role of nutritional deficiencies. Being pregnant and then breastfeeding are major nutritional stressors on the body. They are important times of growth and nurturing new life. During this phase of life however, women are most vulnerable to the significant adverse effects of nutritional deficiencies on mood and health. During pregnancy nutrient stores are often depleted and when they are not restored early after birth, there is an increased risk of post-natal depression (PND). (1). Follow this with a second or third pregnancy in quick succession and there is an increased risk to the health outcomes of both mother and child from depletion of nutrients. COMMON NUTRITIONAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PND DEFICIENCIES The most common nutritional deficiencies found in women before conception are of zinc and magnesium. These deficiencies are known implications in unexplained infertility and also recurrent miscarriages. (2). Why are deficiencies of these two minerals common? There are a number of compounding reasons which are mainly related to our modern diet and the way we prepare foods today. Consuming the amount of cereal grains that we do today in our modern diet has a great impact on these minerals. Cereal grains contain phytic acid which acts by combining with zinc and magnesium making them insoluble and excreted from the body. Hence over time on a high grain diet, deficiency increases. Boiling food in water leaches out these minerals (hence if you boil veggies, always keep the water and use it in cooking or soup or drink!). Other factors limiting the uptake and availability of zinc and magnesium are impaired intestinal absorption and also excess consumption of soft drinks which contain phosphoric acid which reduces absorption of these minerals. ZINC DEFICIENCY Zinc deficiency is common in several psychiatric disorders shown in several studies. (3-7). Most studies have focussed on the role of zinc in the pathogenesis of depression however it has a possible role in ADHD, Alzheimer's disease, anorexia nervosa and autism as well. (8-11). In post-natal depression, there is a relationship between the severity of PND symptoms with lower blood zinc concentrations. (12) How do you know if you may be low in zinc, especially during pregnancy? Having 3 or more of the following brings zinc deficiency into question: * Stretch marks * Frequent infections * Irritability * Poor wound healing, eczema, acne, dermatitis * Loss of appetite * Poor sense of smell and taste * White marks on fingernails * Pale skin. Other factors that deplete zinc are stress stress stress (which pregnancy is physiologically), infections, illnesses, sugar consumption, coffee, alcohol, steroid drugs and the contraception pill. Zinc is required by a developing foetus to assist growth and development. During pregnancy, zinc requirements increase by 31% with the greatest need during late pregnancy which depletes stores and this continues during breast-feeding. But it's not solely the depletion of zinc which makes postnatal depression likely. Importantly zinc has an inverse relationship in the body with copper. It is like a see-saw; so as zinc levels go down, copper levels go up. More about copper in a moment! MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY Estimates vary between 33-75% of the population consume less than the daily recommended amount of magnesium in their diet. Magnesium has been implicated in brain neuropathologies. Insufficient magnesium in the brain reduces serotonin (a neurotransmitter linked to our moods). (13) Again this is an important mineral in pregnancy. It regulates body temperature, controls genetic information, and is important in maintaining nerve and muscle function. Deficiency in pregnancy can reduce foetal growth and lead to an increased risk of pre-eclampsia. Symptoms of low magnesium in pregnancy include: * Headaches * Depression and anxiety * High blood pressure * Muscle cramps * Fatigue * Poor concentration and attention span * Hyper-irritability * Vertigo. Magnesium deficiency can be induced by stress hormones (again pregnancy is a stress physiologically on a woman's body) and by eating a diet heavy in calcium. The contractions of labour consume a lot of magnesium since magnesium is important in muscle contractions. This along with the extra stress hormones released during labour can exacerbate a deficiency and influence the development of PND. COPPER TOXICITY During pregnancy, the zinc:copper see-saw alters. Zinc levels fall and copper levels rise. This is the natural occurrence to best support the growing foetus; it helps develop their blood vessels. Normally following birth, levels of copper drop. The problem today is that mineral deficiencies before pregnancy, short duration between pregnancies (not allowing repletion of nutrients), drinking water from copper pipes, taking multivitamins containing copper and years of taking hormonal contraceptives are contributing to the failure of copper normalisation. Instead it remains elevated. There is an established link between excess copper and post-natal mood disorders. High copper levels are evident in the more severe post-natal reactions including bipolar disorder, severe anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder and psychosis. (12) An untreated high copper condition can persist for many years in women with a history of post-natal depression. Symptoms of high copper include: * Feelings of doom * Fatigue and exhaustion * Hypothyroid * Brain fog * Mood swings (often a very short temper) * Headaches, migraines * Depression * Cold hands, and/or feet * Super-sensitive, weepy * Chocolate (and sometimes coffee) cravings * Dry skin * Feeling loss of control * Adverse reaction to vitamins and minerals * Constipation * Panic attacks, high anxiety * Aching muscles or muscle cramps * Hypoglycaemia * Extreme PMS (sometimes extreme thoughts pre-menstrually). (14) A dramatic improvement in women with post-natal depression has been seen when they have been treated with supplements that lower copper and rebalance the copper:zinc ratio back to normal. This has been documented through Dr William Walsh of the Walsh Institute. (12) If you are someone who ticks some of the boxes for possible high copper symptoms, it could be worth a visit to a Bio-Balance trained physician. Bio-balance promotes the biochemical treatment of mental and behavioural disorders. To find practitioners in Australia, head to http://www.biobalance.org.au/ OTHER NUTRITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS IN POST NATAL DEPRESSION There are a number of other possible links to post-natal depression which include hormonal imbalances such as low progesterone. This in turn can affect the thyroid and adrenal hormones and present as post-natal depression. Low blood sugar is associated with depression and can be further perpetuated by comfort eating to remedy the low blood sugar leading to weight gain. Omega 3 fatty acid deficiency - these fats are essential to brain function. During pregnancy, omega-3's can become deplete while the foetal brain develops and also during breastfeeding. B vitamin deficiencies - in depression, folate, riboflavin, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 are often implicated. Mood changes result from supplementation of these B vitamins. NUTRITION TO NOURISH MUMS Good nourishment is particularly critical during the pre-conceptual, pregnancy and post-natal periods. Currently I don't believe there is enough emphasis placed on educating women about the importance of nutrition not only to assist conception and grow a healthy baby, but for the health of the mother (now and in the future). Our food has changed and traditions have changed for example in Western societies, many traditional cultural post-birth and breastfeeding meals have been replaced with dry, low-nutrient foods. Some suggestions to improve health outcomes and decrease the likelihood of developing post-natal depression include: * Increase zinc intake - good sources are high quality animal protein, poultry, fish, organ meats. * Increase B vitamins - good sources are brewer's yeast, green leafy vegetables, beans and wheat germ. * Increase magnesium - good sources are seeds, nuts, beans, dark green leafy vegetables and seafood. * Eat foods rich in tryptophan - turkey, cottage cheese, eggs, lobster, mung beans, bananas, pineapple, spinach, asparagus, sunflower and flaxseed and oils. * Omega 3 oils - oily fish, nuts, seeds, grass fed meats, eggs from chickens fed omega 3's and supplementation of omega 3 in pregnancy and breastfeeding. * Avoid low fat diets - fats are needed to build a baby. Low fat diets have been linked to depression and thoughts of suicide according to a study in Nutrition Review, April 2000). * Good sleep patterns - go to bed and rest whenever possible to aid recovery and replenishment of nutrients. The more time spent awake, the greater the likelihood of nutrient depletion. IS THERE AN OPTIMAL GAP BETWEEN PREGNANCIES? Birth spacing? In all honesty it was something I hadn't really considered except that I wanted my kids to be close together in age to hopefully grow up as buddies! So researching this I was fascinated to find that there has been an "Invisible Norm" for many years in family planning that agreed that a 2 year birth interval is important for both child and maternal health. Research however recently commissioned by CATALYST (Consortium globally funded by the US Agency for International Development) shows that there is "substantially more health benefit gained from lengthening the birth interval beyond the previously recommended 2 years to a 3-5 birth interval." These findings impact both the health of the child and mother. (15) So in order to best recover from one birth and lactation and re-stock all the nutrient stores, a 3-5 year gap is best to avoid the health outcomes as a mother associated with nutrient deficiencies. REFERENCES AND FURTHER RESOURCES: 1. Bodnar L, Wisnar K, Nutrition and Depression: Implications for Improving Mental Health Among Childbearing-Aged Women, Biological Psychiatry, 2005 Nov1; 58(9): 679-685
2. Scholl TO, Reilly TM, Trace element and mineral nutrition in human pregnancy. In Bodgen JD, Klevay LM eds. Clinical Nutrition of the Essential Trace Elements and Minerals: The Guide for Health Professionals. Totawa, NJ: Human Press Inc, 2000: 115-138. 3. Marcellini F, Giuli C, Papa R, et al. Zinc status, psychological and nutritional assessment in old people recruited in five European countries: Zincage study. Biogerontology, 2006, 7:339-345. 4. Pepersack T, Rotsaert P, Benoit F, Willems D et al. Prevalence of zinc deficiency and its clinical relevance among hospitalised elderly. Archives of Gerontoloty and Geriatrics, 2001, 33:243-253. 5. Maes M, Vandoolaeghe E, Neels H, et al. Lower serum zinc in major depression is a sensitive marker of treatment resistance and of the immune/inflammatory response in that illness. Biological Psychiatry, 1997, 42:349-358. 6. Amani R, Saeidi S, Nazari Z et al. Correlation between dietary zinc intakes and its serum levels with depression scales in young female students. Biological Trace Element Research, 2010, 137:150-158. 7. Gronli O, Kvamme J, Friborg O, Wynn R. Zinc deficiency is common in several psychiatric disorders, PLoS ONE, 2013, 8(12): e82793. doi:10.1371/journal/pone.0082793 8. Villagomez A, Ramtekkar U. Iron, magnesium, Vitamin D and zinc deficiencies in children presenting with symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Children, 2014, 1:261-279; doi:10.3390/children1030261 9. Shcherbatykj I, Carpenter D. The role of metals in the etiology of Alzheimer's disease, 2007, Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 11:191-205. 10. Katz R, Keen C, Litt I, Hurley L et al. Zinc deficiency in anorexia nervosa. Journal of Adolescent Health Care, 1987 8(5):400-406. 11. Yorbik O, Akay C, Sayal A, et al. Zinc status in autistic children. The Journal of Trace Elements in Experimental Medicine, 2004, 17(2):101-107 12. Crayton JW, Walsh WJ. Elevated serum copper levels in women with a history of post-partum depression. Journal of Trace Elements in Medical Biology, 2007;21:17-21. 13 Eby GA, Eby KL. Magnesium for treatment-resistant depression: a review and hypothesis, Medical Hypotheses, 2010, 74(4):649-660. 14. Casper J, Copper Toxicity (self-evaluation), nutritionalbalancing.org/center/htma/science/articles/copper-toxicity.php 15. Optimal Birth Spacing: New Research from Latin America on teh Association of Birth Intervals and Perinatal, Maternal and Adolescent Health, 2002, CATALYST consortium. Available at: http://www.rhcatalyst.org/site/DocServer/OBSIEngConde.pdf?docID=139 |
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