The Craziness of Menopause, One Woman’s Adventure

I’ve been working for years with women going through menopause, helping them overcome the all too familiar symptoms, often laughing together as we share stories of hot flashes.

One funny story: “I would go to bed at night and have all the windows open, even on a cold wintry night. One of those nights my husband came into the room dressed in ski gear from head to toe.”

Other complaints would include memory loss: “We were branding a new product and I was presenting the product in its new form to the clients and I couldn’t remember the name of the product! You have to understand that my team and I had worked on the product for 6 months. I blanked and stood there for what seemed like hours. Of course it was only a few minutes but enough to make me look like a complete idiot.”

Another: “I’m a lawyer and I knew things were bad when I forgot things that were really important to winning a case… thank God for my assistants.” “Give me the HRT I don’t care about 2002 study linking HRT to breast cancer - I can’t function.”

But the worst is the weight gain. “Just looking at food or thinking about it packs on the pounds.” “I’m really having a problem with losing the weight which used to be so easy.”

Hot flashes, night sweats, memory loss, weight gain. I had a great deal of compassion for my menopause clients and thought the protocols I had were really great.

 And then I hit menopause, or should I say menopause hit me.

At first my periods shortened but the emotional swing before the period was really extreme. I also noticed a general warming, a gradual temperature increase and then my period stopped altogether.

I’ve always been a great and deep sleeper. My head would hit the pillow and that would be me until the morning. I didn’t even hear my husband crashing around the bedroom chasing mice (that the cat brought in and abandoned when he got bored). Nor did I hear the neighbor’s car alarm. My husband would tell me all this in the morning and I would marvel at the depth of my sleep.

All that changed… at menopause. That gradual warming now became intense rushes of heat, starting with a slight prickling up my back and then an intense hot flush… (2 minutes and 15 seconds was the longest time). I could endure the flash of heat but the curling, creeping, hair-sticking-to-the forehead, up the back, down the neck, make-up melting, sweat was not fun. Throw off the duvet, change the PJ’s three times in a night, seriously NOT FUN!!

I would be sitting with a client and the next thing I would be opening the window, changing color and trying surreptitiously to mop my red face and hope that my mascara hadn’t run.

This is fine when the client is a woman. But explaining “just having a hot flash” to a 20 year old boy who thinks you’ve just gone crazy and you’ve just lost your ‘so cool’ is a little difficult.

At first, it was really curious and interesting… this change my body was going through. But that wonderful ‘in the moment’ Buddhist reckoning got old fast. I hated not being able to sleep.

Of course it affected my daily functioning, but the worst part was my mood changes. I’m sure my husband thought an alien had inhabited my now emotional, teary body. A ridiculous TV ad would have me in tears. I was quick to anger and irritability – I had a huge altercation with a silly man in a parking lot. He didn’t know what hit him.

But it was the depression that really affected me – lack of sleep and/or lack of hormones or imbalance of hormones are a great recipe for depression. Adding to the cauldron –  sleep deprivation, hot flashes and sweats, forgetting words, not being able to string a sentence together, irritability and depression – was the weight gain.

 These were truly dark days that got me thinking about anti-depressants. In moments of lucidity, I knew that really wasn’t the answer. So I started trying different combinations of supplements without much success until I was told about a new product that ”helps with hot flushes”. So I reviewed the science and told the company that I would test it and if it worked I’d recommend it in my practice.

 Supplementation takes at least 3-4 weeks before any noticeable change and the data indicated 6-12 weeks for very noticeable change. After two weeks on the product I woke up one morning and realized my mood had been different, I wasn’t in that dark place. Five weeks later there was a definite change in the intensity of the hot flashes. Three months now and Hallelujah! No night sweats! There is still the occasional little prickle during the day (maybe a little 2 on the 1-10 intensity scale) but its really livable and these actually may be food-related.

The product has been quite profound in helping with my moods and hot flushes. I’ve also done more adrenal and neurotransmitter testing with supportive supplements to support those functions and my sleep is fantastic.

 Now I’m working on the weight. It really means exercising more than when I was in my twenties, but now that I’m not so tired this is do-able. My diet has taken a 360° turn from what was healthy for my body pre-menopause and what my body needs now. I really believe that there are foods that support different phases of our lives and so again one diet doesn’t fit all. We all need different supplements for these changes. This is about lifestyle changes as the body makes its changes, and the menopausal change is not easy. I really get it now.

 If you need any help with your symptoms please call and we can do one-on-one consults in person or by phone. Email sharon@nutrimaven.com

Lawsuit claims PCBs found in 10 fish oil supplements

Improved Product Labeling Urged

After the recent lawsuit over PCBs in fish oils, I though it was time to talk about quality in supplementation, a subject I feel very strongly about.

12 years ago, when I was still living and practicing nutrition in London, the British equivalent of the EPA did a survey of all the fish oils in a very reputable store. Only one company met the criteria for a ‘clean’ product.

When I moved to the US, I used these criteria as my yardstick for choosing a supplement company. I chose Metagenics. At the time they were the only company vigilantly testing their products from raw material to the supplement in the bottle. At a cost of millions of dollars Metagenics became GMP, NSF and TGA certified. I believe these certifications will become the standard for all nutritional companies as more and more products are tested and found to be contaminated. It has been shown that some raw materials bought in China and India where water and soil in areas are highly contaminated.

As a clinical nutritionist, I recommend therapeutic/maintenance doses of supplements and nutraceuticals. I need assurance that what I’m recommending is of top quality and not adding to the ailments of my clients. Metagenics products meet those requirements and more. And I’ve seen numerous health benefits of my clients using these products. At the risk of sounding like an ad, I must endorse these products heartily.

You’re welcome to buy Metagenics products through my website, www.optinutri.net.

Diet is a Four Letter Word

Phew, so pleased January is over, it always seems to be such long month, cold, wintry and anticlimactic after the excitement of the holidays. January is also the month when resolutions are made and broken. So come February, I see patients and clients who are disillusioned with the latest fad diet promising 10 lb. weight loss in 10 days; or they’ve tried the local health store’s ‘best cleanse ever.’ Then there’s the latest and greatest in pills and supplements that stave off the hunger monster. TV commercials with competing weight-loss companies offering all kinds of seductive plans. 

What’s really interesting is how we buy into this gazillion dollar weight-loss business and end up feeling frustrated, disillusioned and disappointed. We tend to beat ourselves up when we don’t measure up to the ‘Mary-Sue’s’ before and after picture of her 30 lb. loss in a month. Frankly, if you lost 30 lbs. in a month I would be packing you off to your doctor for all kinds of testing.

 You may ask, ‘What should I be doing?"

Firstly let’s reset the default from diet to health (dieting is all about a start and end date and deprivation – you go on a diet, you go off a diet – and mostly folks last about 2 weeks on a diet).

Next, shift your thinking from weight loss to fat loss – you don’t want to be losing any muscle. And while you about it throw out the scale – it measures muscle, fat, bone and water (of which we are 70%). Fluid fluctuates hourly, forget about daily. Too often clients are in tears about the overnight ‘weight gain.’

If you have to measure and don’t have a $2,000  handy-dandy Bioelectrical Impedance Analyzer that calculates through algorithms – muscle, bone, fat, fluid, toxicity. Then buy a simple seamstress tape-measure and measure your waist and hips. Go online and ‘Google waist-to-hip and you’ll discover everything you ever need to know about waist-to-hip measures and calculation. Of course clothes size says it all.

Now that we’ve established HOW to measure, what about FOOD?

Having reviewed the science and research behind many programs, the most compelling is the Mediterranean Diet. This really is more of a lifestyle change rather than a diet. In fact the Mediterranean Diet according to the research, reduces the risk of cognitive disease, heart disease, cancers, diabetes, even osteoporosis and ageing .

Wow, here we are at ageing –
What’s the secret to health ageing?

VEGETABLES, VEGETABLES, and VEGETABLES

Oh, did I mention Vegetables?  (We are nation with tables deficient in vegetables). Add fruit, some beans, nuts (remember peanuts are not a nut), and a bit of grain (this, my darlings, doesn’t give you carte blanche on the bread, even if whole-grain.)  HINT: a huge negotiating category in my practice: go for the ‘other’ grains like quinoa, millet, brown rice, wild rice, buckwheat, amaranth. Next add fish and shellfish, followed by poultry and eggs and SOME cheese and yoghurt. If you must, then add red meat.

No more calorie counting, food combining, or weighing (this is SO difficult to maintain beyond 2 weeks).

Great Rule of Thumb:  Half your plate is vegetables and salad, a quarter is starch and grain and the other quarter is protein.

Easypeasy – you’ll gain muscle, lose fat and drop clothing size without getting caught up in the blame and shame game that accompanies ‘dieting.’

Oh, and just for a laugh, go to www.faddiet.com.

Ten Tips to Help Beat Colds & Flu

When autumn rolls around, the weather cools off and colds and flu return. If your are mindful you can decrease your chances of getting what’s going around. But if you succumb, you can minimize the effects and recover more quickly.

1. Reduce sugar intake. Or better still, avoid sugar completely. Sugar almost immediately decreases immune function after consumption.
2. Wash your hands frequently. The most common route of infection is not from coughing or sneezing, but from hand-to-hand contact. Viruses are often passed by touch. Wash your hands frequently and avoid shaking hands with those who are already ill. Be aware of  surfaces in contact with large numbers of people—hand rails, door handles, etc.
3. Eat lightly, with a focus on maximum nutrient content. Your Grandmother was right, “Eat your veggies!”  Fresh fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of immune-boosting nutrients. Try your hand at juicing and making homemade soups.
4. Make the right nutritional choices to support immune function. For example, choose tea instead of coffee for its anti-bacterial and anti-viral activity and eat plenty of garlic for its anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal activity
5. Eat Chicken Soup. Believe it or not, chicken soup actually does help the symptoms of a cold! Chicken contains a natural amino acid called cysteine which can thin the mucus in the lungs and make it less sticky, so it is easier to expel.  Unfortunately, canned, shop-bought versions won’t work anywhere near as well as a homemade version.  Make it hot and spicy with lots of pepper.
6. Relax and take it easy. Rest is very important throughout the time you are ill. The time you are ill may be longer if you do not allow yourself time to recuperate and recover completely
7. Drink plenty of fluids. Water is the best option. Try to drink at least 8 to 10 glasses a day, this will help the stuffiness and help the secretions to loosen.
8. Reduce intake of dairy products to help decrease the extra mucous that dairy products can cause you to produce.
9. Ensure optimum intake of omega-3 essential fatty acids.
10. Fortify your defenses. Beneficial immune supporting nutrients include zinc, vitamin C and vitamin A and herbal extracts of echinacea, goldenseal, garlic and astragalus.

Remember, you aren’t helping ANYONE when you go to work sick. In fact, you decrease the productivity of others and your own work won’t be so great. Stay home, rest, read and talk to the cat.

The Magic of Green Tea

What’s in Your Morning Cup?

Shouldn’t you consider switching your “Cup o’ Joe” for the health benefits of a "cuppa green"?

Interestingly both green and black teas come from the same plant –
camellia sinensis. The green tea leaves are briefly steamed, while the black are crushed, piled in heaps and 'sweated' – a natural oxidation process that causes the leaves to darken and develop a different aroma and flavor than green tea. The sweating process also destroys some of the polyphenols (epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which is why green tea is healthier.

What about decaffeinated teas?

There are two ways of decaffeinating green tea

1. Solvent – ethyl acetate where you loose up to 30% of the EGCG

2. Effervescence – a natural process using only water and carbon dioxide, retaining 95% of the polyphenols.

Read the label – you may have to check with the manufacturer. There is another way of removing at least 80% of the caffeine, according to Andrew Weil. Steep the tea for 45 seconds in hot water then pour off the liquid, add more hot water and steep as normal.

In comparison to a cup of coffee, green tea has a 1/3 of the caffeine.

L-theanine 

  Despite the known stimulatory effect of caffeine, it’s interesting to note that most people describe green tea as very calming. This can be explained by the action of an amino acid called L-theanine which acts antagonistically against the stimulatory effects of caffeine on the nervous system.

How does this work?

1. L-theanine stimulates the production of alpha brain waves, creating a state of deep relaxation and mental alertness similar to what is achieved through meditation.
2. Secondly, L-theanine is involved in the formation of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma amino butyric acid (GABA). GABA influences the levels of 2 two other neurotransmitters, dopamine and serotonin, producing the key relaxation effect.

In Summary

Research shows the polyphenols – EGCG found in green tea, are known to reduce the risk factors for heart disease, cancers, inflammation, suppressed immunity and others. There are also studies that show that green tea helps with weight loss, through increasing metabolism. And very importantly,  L-theanine which helps with stress and anxiety – something we all need in these times of economic stress.