The Health Blog

Polyunsaturated fatty acids are more unstable than monounsaturated and saturated fatty acids. This means that they become rancid (oxidized) more easily when exposed to oxygen, light and heat, and have the ability to form trans fatty acids. We are continually told by health authorities that polyunsaturated fats are healthy, and saturated fats are bad for us.

Vegetable oils that have become oxidized act as free radicals in the body. Free radicals can cause damage to our cells and DNA; they age us more quickly and have been linked to the development of heart disease and cancer. Importantly, new research has shown that cholesterol itself is not the problem, but oxidized cholesterol is a bigger risk factor for heart disease. The more free radicals we have in our body, the greater the chance that our cholesterol will become oxidized. This form of cholesterol behaves differently and is more likely to attach itself to our artery walls.

Trans fats have been well researched in recent years, and their effects on our heart are becoming clearer. Some researchers believe they are responsible for the epidemic of heart disease in the 20th Century. Trans fats have an adverse effect on our blood fats because they increase the levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol, and reduce levels of HDL “good” cholesterol. This is a double whammy; their effects on cholesterol levels are considered to be twice as bad as saturated fats. This is very unfortunate because many consumers buy foods that are labeled to be “low fat” or “cholesterol free”, and these are the types of foods that are often highest in trans fats! Trans fats are also known to raise triglyceride levels, and interfere with the metabolism of essential fatty acids in the body.

In the Nurse’s Health Study, women who had the greatest amount of trans fats in their diet had a 50% higher risk of heart attack compared to women who consumed the least amount of trans fats.

Because trans fats become incorporated into our cell membranes, they interfere with the action of insulin. They promote insulin resistance and in this way they make you fat, and increase your chances of developing Syndrome X and diabetes. Trans fats also promote the release of inflammatory chemicals called cytokines, contributing to inflammation in the body.

If you do nothing else for your heart, make sure you avoid eating partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, and processed vegetable oil that does not state it is “extra virgin” or “cold pressed”. In the USA the trans fat content of all packaged foods will need to be stated on the label by January 2006. There are no such plans in place for Australia yet, so you will have to identify trans fats yourself by looking for the words “partially hydrogenated” or “hydrogenated vegetable oil”, “vegetable oil” or “vegetable fat”. Check food labels carefully to make sure you avoid these types of fats. Healthier alternatives to use would be extra virgin olive oil, butter, ghee and virgin coconut fat. Healthy spreads for bread include avocado, hummus, tahini, tomato paste or natural nut butter/paste.

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What is it?

A condition in which a woman becomes miserable or frankly depressed after having a baby. It is extremely common, with some surveys showing that eight out of ten women feel low, weepy and depressed, and are easily upset, in the first week or two after a birth. These emotions may or may not be accompanied by a feeling of anxiety around the time of taking the baby home from the hospital-a condition seen more commonly in first-time mothers.

Usually post-natal depression is not sufficiently serious to prevent the sufferer from functioning normally, but is very unpleasant for her. Such a woman typically cries at the slightest provocation, perhaps for no reason at all, feels she can’t cope with the baby, is critical or openly aggressive towards her partner, feels guilty about not loving her baby enough, goes off sex, loses her appetite, can’t sleep, has nightmares, and may have panic attacks.

A1975 study found that of sixty-six women having their first babies 84 per cent experienced post-natal depression of some kind and 77 per cent were anxious. Twenty-four per cent were frankly depressed.

Post-natal depression starts at any time after the birth but the common ‘baby blues’ is experienced in the first few days and lasts only for a couple of days. More severe forms of depression start from 2-3 weeks post-natally, but can first appear as much as six months later.

What causes it?

No one knows for sure but there are several theories:

• Hormonal theories have always been popular because the levels of progesterone rise during pregnancy and then fall very suddenly immediately after the birth. Superficially this appears to be a plausible explanation but it is difficult to see how this sudden fall in hormone level could cause depression weeks or months later. Also, these very same hormones are deemed to be the cause of pregnancy depression in which progesterone levels are high-not low.

It was noticed many years ago that there were certain similarities between premenstrual symptoms and post-natal depression. Dr Katherina Dalton, a pioneer in this field, wondered whether there might not be a connection-possibly a shortage of one of the circulating hormones. Unfortunately, it is not easy to measure hormones post-natally because the levels swing wildly until the menstrual cycle re-establishes itself. Whilst we still have a lot to learn about hormonal abnormalities, several researchers have meanwhile found other abnormalities. One of these is:

Inadequate vitamin B6. This vitamin now has a proven place in the management of premenstrual tension and it has also been tested in the post-natal situation. One researcher gave 100 mg of the vitamin for twenty-eight days to more than 100 women who had already had one baby (thus ruling out first-timers). The results showed that the B6 group had much less depression than did those given a placebo and that the effects were particularly marked in those women who had premenstrual symptoms. Depression has been linked to a shortage of a neurotransmitter called serotonin and vitamin B6 shortage can cause too little of this to be produced in the body. Research in Birmingham (England) has found that the substance from which serotonin is made fails to rise after birth in some women who later become depressed.

Tiredness and sheer exhaustion are often cited as causes of postnatal blues but there is almost certainly more going on than this. Undoubtedly, physical and mental exhaustion are a part of the baby blues in some women but they are unlikely to be a major factor in true post-natal depression.

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Of course, there’s a catch. In this case, two manly traits interfere with spiritual development. First, we are raised to ignore and discount intuition—our inner voice. Second, we are taught to suppress our emotions. On both counts we need to do some unlearning, says Dr. Kurth. Here’s how.

Pause and listen. Don’t listen only to your reasoning mind. Listen to your inner urges, nudges, leanings, voices. And give yourself permission to act on them, says Dr. Kurth.

Also, make time to just put the world on “pause,” Dr. Kurth says. “We get very caught up with all the events of our lives. And in order to have an intimate connection with some transcendent reality, we have to take time to stop and listen.”

Get emotional. “Listen to your emotions and let your emotions and passions inform what you do,” Dr. Kurth says. One definition of enthusiasm is “being infused with the spirit of God,” she says. Often when we are impassioned, we are connecting with our spiritual essence, she says.

Meditate. Okay, break out those orange robes. Nahhh, we’re kidding. The simplest, most basic meditation, says Dr. Kurth, is simply to pause for five minutes and focus attention on nothing but your breathing. Breathe comfortably, deeply, naturally. Don’t force it. Just relax and watch your breathing for a few moments.

Meet Mother Nature. Take quiet walks in natural settings outdoors, says Dr. Kurth. The beauty, vastness, complexity, and seeming omnipresence of nature can be both awe-inspiring and relaxing.

Pray tell. Talking over problems in prayer, turning them over to a higher power, taking decisions into prayerful consideration, is obviously an effort to connect with the Divine. Throughout history many people have found this a helpful spiritual practice, says Dr. Kurth. You might, too.

Make beautiful music. Singing, playing, or listening to inspirational music opens doors to greater spiritual realization, says Dr. Kurth.

Be creative. “Working in any of the creative arts can help one discover and develop his spiritual nature. The key here is work that involves inspiration. Spirit, says Dr. Kurth, comes from the Latin word meaning “breath,” as in “the breath of life.” And the word inspire comes from the words “in spirit.”

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Most of us know people who exhibit what seem to be peculiar eating patterns, from self-professed “chocoholics” to the college student on a macrobiotic diet. Yet these unusual habits seldom represent a true eating disorder. Understanding just what qualifies as an eating disorder begins with basic definitions of the terms.

Anorexia-self-starvation-was first described as a clinical syndrome three hundred years ago. Yet only within the past few decades have eating disorders been widely recognized, not just by the public but by physicians themselves. Even as I write, controversy rages, here and abroad, over the exact nature of these disorders. This debate is more than mere medical hairsplitting; a precise understanding is crucial so that therapy can be developed and applied.

Anorexia and bulimia may appear to be different illnesses with different symptoms. Anorexia is characterized by starvation; bulimia is notorious for its cycle of bingeing and purging. While there are distinctions between the two conditions, it is also true that they have certain features in common.

Both anorexics and bulimics overvalue bodily thinness. The flip side of this attitude, and of equal importance, is an exaggerated fear of fatness. These highly prized but basically unhealthy concepts are constantly reinforced by social pressures and cultural signals.

Both disorders also involve an obsession with food. As the disease progresses, patients get caught up in the rituals of acquiring, preparing, and consuming meals. In time, thoughts of food come to dominate every aspect of their lives, at the expense of family, friends, careers, and, of course, health.

Eating disorders are “spectrum” disorders. Like the spectrum of light in a rainbow, anorexia and bulimia appear in a range of intensities. Think of anorexics as occupying the red end of the spectrum, with bulimics at the violet end. Both “colors” are highly intense but are of different hues. In between are many variations of the illness, each with a distinctive “color,” or pattern of symptoms. There are several types of patients with eating disorders, especially among those with bulimia. The main difference between them may be simply the severity of their symptoms.

Looking at a rainbow, it is difficult to tell exactly where one color ends and another one begins. The colors seem to slide into each other, overlapping at certain critical points.

The same can be said of eating disorders. Women who start off with anorexia find it difficult to maintain constant starvation. So they eat. They then often adopt such measures as self-induced vomiting in order to keep their weight down. Conversely, patients who begin by bingeing and purging may eventually try starvation as their only means of restricting food intake. This passage from one kind of eating strategy to another affects the treatment they require. Anorexic patients, for example, fear that learning how to eat normally may result in urges to binge.

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Sandra Hameroff was having a hard time losing 40 postpregnancy pounds—until she started taking time off from her diet.

Shortly after the birth of her son, Noah, Sandra got serious about shaping up, determined to return to her prepregnancy weight of 100 pounds. She started using her cross-country ski machine four times a week. She also went on a strict diet, allowing herself no more than 1,300 calories a day and denying herself a lot of her favorite foods, especially pizza and french fries. As a result, she found herself on the brink of a full-scale binge more than once.

When a sympathetic friend learned of Sandra’s efforts—and her list of forbidden foods—she made a suggestion: “Why not give yourself a break from your eating program once a week? You’ll tame those cravings before they permanently undo your diet.”

The next Monday through Thursday, Sandra was a model of gastronomic self-control, amazing even herself. Then came Friday, and with it, her old favorites: pizza, ice cream, and a hearty dessert.

As radical as it sounds, indulgence was just what she needed. The next day, Sandra resumed her stricter eating plan with greater enthusiasm. Soon after, her husband got into the act by taking her to dinner on Friday nights, which only served to make her splurges seem even more special. “I looked forward to them,” she says. “They made my diet easier to stick with.”

Four months later, Sandra stepped on a scale and discovered that she had lost all 40 pounds without guilt or giving up the foods that she loved. As a gift to herself, she hired a personal trainer to help her get in the best shape ever. “She brought me to a new level of fitness,” Sandra says.

WINNING ACTION

Give yourself a break. As we all know, dieting is hard work, and temptation is everywhere. Instead of trying to fight the urge to splurge all the time, allow yourself a chance to indulge those fat fantasies every now and then. Just remember that you have to be on the wagon 6 days out of 7.

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