Diabetes has become a huge problem in modern times.  This is largely due to the difficulty we find ourselves in trying to lead a healthy life style in the society in which we live.

In trying to take control of the blood sugars we need to look at what we eat, how active we are when we are not sleeping, how much stress we are under and how effective are we at handling it, how good is the quality of our sleep, how good are we at avoiding environmental toxins and finally how we can use natural foods to lower the sugar.

We want to eat those foods that are converted to sugar very slowly; these are foods with low hypoglycemic index. Glucose has a GI index of 100, any food with GI index lower than 55 or lower are better.  The other thing to consider is how much sugar the food contains. The foods with high sugars have high glycemic load. Food with glycemic load of 20 have very high sugar load, glycemic load of 10 would be food with low sugar. The best foods for controlling the sugars are those that have low GI index and low glycemic index. They will release the sugar into the blood stream slowly and will not cause insulin to spike or over stimulated. High fiber foods will also prevent spikes in the blood sugar and insulin.

To check which foods have the best GI index and the glycemic load buy a book or look on the numerous internet site, here is one site you can start with to get some idea of these foods: http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htm

These foods include green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, swiss chard; other vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, celery and baby carrots are also good. Other foods include omega-3 eggs and omega -3 fish like salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and hearing. Lean meat such as free-range chicken and turkey. Fruits with low GI include apples, berries, peaches, pears, plums, oranges, and grapefruit. Nuts, such as walnuts and almonds. Foods high in soluble fiber include oats, bran, beans, and lentils.

I have already written about exercise. Generally one should be on their feet most of the day and about three times a week do vigorous exercise for 30-40 min. Check previous posts for more details.

Stress produces stress hormones in the body and that makes one crave for simple carbohydrates such as cookies, cakes and candy. These hormones also elevate the blood sugar too. Exercise, Meditation and Yoga has helped to control the blood sugars by managing the everyday stresses.

Studies have shown that those with less than five hours of good quality sleep have raise blood sugars and increased insulin resistance. They are at a higher risk for developing diabetes.

Environmental toxins are becoming more common without us even knowing about them. These toxins promote inflammation in the arteries with cause chronic diseases including diabetes. Plastic bottles contain BPA (bisphenol-a), one study showed farm raised Atlantic salmon had significantly higher levels of 13 toxins when compared with wild fish such as salmon or trout. Another study showed metabolites of organophosphate pesticide in children eating conventional diet, but when the diet was replaced with organic diet the metabolites were undetectable. These are just few examples of possible environmental toxins but here are many more resulting from what we put into our food chain.

Finally there are natural foods that are very good at lowering blood sugar. You will have to find creative ways to include them in your diet. These include Cinnamon, garlic, onions, fenugreek and vinegar.

If you have diabetes one needs to make a life long change in one’s life style to control the blood sugar and keep healthy.

In the next post I will put up couple of videos, which someone recently made me aware of them and it’s worth watching.  It’s about how fasting can keep you healthy.

Resources

The Science of Natural Healing – by Dr Mimi Guarneri

http://flickrhivemind.net

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• Glycemic Index & Glycemic Load (thenourishingnutritionist.wordpress.com)
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High blood pressure is often referred to as a silent killer because high blood pressure doesn’t always give you symptoms and so you may not know that you have high blood pressure. Having high blood pressure for long period with cause damage to the blood vessels, resulting in strokes, kidney failure and even myocardial infarction. High blood pressure is very common and probably under diagnosed. However, once diagnosed as having a high blood pressure it is relatively easy to treat and prevent future complications. The trick is to have your blood pressure checked periodically, especially if there is a family history of high blood pressure and if it is high to see your doctor for advise. The public health agency of Canada reports hypertension statistics as follows:-

• In 2006/07, 450,029 adults were newly diagnosed with hypertension (22.1 per 1,000 population aged 20 years and older, 21.6 per 1,000 women and 22.7 per 1,000 men).

Here are some suggestions based on some evidence that they may be helpful, but the proof of the pudding is when your blood pressure readings become normal  after following these suggestions.

1. Decrease your weight, even by losing as little as 10 lbs will be helpful.

2. Daily aerobic exercise 30-40 min per day, combined with strength training three times a week.

3. Reduce or stop alcohol intake.

4. Reduce salt intake. We only need 500mg per day but our diets can have as high as 5000mg per day if it is mostly from canned or packaged or processed foods. Most restaurant food is also with high salt content.

5. Reduce oils with high ratio of omega -6 to omega -3, which include corn oil, safflower oil, and sunflower oil; replace it with extra virgin olive oil or macadamia oil.

6. Increase garlic intake, four cloves every day. Can get the same benefit with 900 mg of aged garlic extract.

7.High quality seaweed 3 gm per day.

8.Lycopene in fresh tomatoes or lycopene supplement may also help.

9. Magnesium 500 mg per day , but people with kidney disease should consult their doctor first. Consuming generous portion of green leafy vegetables will give you the same benefit.

10. Vitamin D supplement helps lower blood pressure as well as many other benefits.

11. Four grams of Omega-3 per day also helps to lower the blood pressure.

12. CoQ10 deficiency can cause high blood pressure. Taking 200-400 mg per day can lower the blood pressure.

13. Stress management will also reduce blood pressure.

If you have high blood pressure try to adopt as many of these measures as possible and see if the blood pressure come down. ALWAYS work with you doctor so there are no conflict with medication, proper target of blood is achieved and the supplements are not doing any other harms.

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Resources

The Science of Natural Healing – by Dr Mimi Guarneri

There are ways to lower your cholesterol without medications. However before you embark on this you should consult your doctor because there are situations where the cholesterol needs to be lower than normal levels to prevent strokes and heart attacks. In someone with diabetes or known coronary artery disease, for example, they need to have LDL levels lower than 2 or even lower according to some experts.

There are individuals who are sensitive to cholesterol lowering medication and they are unable to continue taking them and then there are those who are on high doses of medications and wish to reduce the dose to minimize the side effects. Some patients just don’t like taking the medications even though they know by not taking them they are at higher risk for getting heart attack or a stroke or both.

Your doctors will recommend you to reduce foods that cause cholesterol to go up and to exercise regularly. Most people know cholesterol lowering diet, which includes diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetable; low or no white bread, no white rice, no white pasta and no simple carbohydrates such as sugar, cookies, cakes, candy or ice cream; low or no   starchy vegetables such as potatoes and winter squash; avoid alcohol, fruit juices and pop; increase fiber by eating whole wheat foods like steel-cut oats or sprouted grain breads or by adding psyllium husks to the cereals. Minimize meat and full fat dairy consumption; get protein from plant source such as soya, seitan, tempeh, lentils, nuts, quinoa etc.

Exercise is important because it increases the good cholesterol HDL and increases the muscle mass, which in turn increases the metabolic rate and burn calories; exercise also reduces insulin resistant.

Diet and exercise alone may not be enough to lower the cholesterol. Here is a list of some natural food supplements that will help lower the cholesterol further; but they are most effective when used in conjunction with good diet and regular exercise as indicated above.

The list of food of supplements that lowers the cholesterol:

1. Omega -3 fish oil 4 gm per day has been shown to lower triglycerides.

2. Niacin 2000 mg per day can lower the triglycerides and increase the good cholesterol HDL; but it can cause hot flushes and the liver should be monitored.

3. Fiber 35 mg per day can also reduce the cholesterol

4. Artichoke extracts 500 mg tablet three times a day can lower LDL

5. Plant Sterols 2 gm per day can lower the LDL.

6.  EGCG is the active ingredient of green tea and 500 mg twice a day or two cups of green tea per day can lower the LDL.

7. Pantothenic Aciid 300 mg three times a day can lower the cholesterol.

8. Red Yeast Rice 600 mg four times a d ay can lower the cholesterol. But CoQ10 100 mg per day should be taken with it because the Red Yeast Rice lowers its levels.

It is important to work with your doctor to monitor the cholesterol and make sure it is lowered to the targets recommended. If there are any questions post a comment and I will try to provide the answer.

Related articles

• Simple Ways to Boost Your Good Cholesterol (everydayhealth.com)
• High Triglycerides Versus Bad Cholesterol: What You Need to Know (everydayhealth.com)
• Prevention is the Key! Here’s The Top 10 Supplements for Heart Health (liveinthenow.com

Resources

The Science of Natural Healing – by Dr Mimi Guarneri

Eco system that promotes stress will cause ill-health. Studies show living in communities that are stressful and cause unhappiness contribute to ill-health and in communities where there is happiness and contentment are health promoting.

Our Eco-system starts with our families and on that we may not have a choice. If possible we would want to experience in our family a wide range of emotions without fear of harsh judgement and with over all feeling of  happiness, feeling of being safe and supported;  and also having a sense of  unconditional love. In this kind of environment we produce less toxic hormone in our bodies. We are able to learn from our mistakes and grow. We can explore and can afford to be adventurous. Of course the opposite is true when our family environment is not supportive but is  judgmental and so resulting in us shutting down, unable to share our emotional life. The first situation as you can imagine is ‘life giving’ and the second situation is ‘stifling and life draining.’

Friendship can be mutually beneficial in different ways. The best friendship, according to Aristotle  is that in which both individuals are equally virtuous and never do any harm to each other, to do so would be against their nature; and they have mutual love for each other. Lesser friendships are where there is limited mutual benefit through the association.

The further away we move from our association with family and friends, to work associates, acquaintances and strangers our reasons for association become more limited but these associations still can have significant impact on us depending on whether the relationship is stressful or not.

The sense of the relationship to our neighborhood should be where its safe to be there without coming to harm from individuals, noise and pollution.

We also want to have the sense that we are not poisoning our planet and we want to leave behind a healthy planet for our children and many future generations.

Obviously we don’t have complete control to organize our community around us so that it allows us to flourish. We never the less need to align ourselves so that it causes minimal harm to our person-hood  This requires deep thought on what we value, practical wisdom and great courage to make a change. In the end, the change that results in less stress and more contentment will be healthy one indeed.

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I was going to write about choosing wisely the community one is going to live, but life has other plans for me for the moment. I went from feeling hot whilst cross country skiing in Pigeon Lake, to Washington DC for a brief three day conference where the weather had been colder than usual according to reliable source – the local taxi driver; and so the cherry blossoms were not blooming, delayed by two weeks. Sad – at least for me because I will not be in Washington in two weeks. I am now in Bahamas trying to get warm again. I packed a sweater just in case the air conditioning is on full blast in the shops and at the restaurants. I do try to avoid them but one needs fuel up once in a while!

I have always been curious about the Bahamas ever since my neighbour, from long past, invited us to their estate because they liked the design of the house we had built in the vicinity. They obviously left a little impression on me because they could swing on a rope like a Tarzan from their bedrooms right into an indoor swimming pool in the middle of their house and they owned a private Island in the Bahamas. I am finally here and I am going to share with you taste of my walk in a Healing Garden in The Bahamas. Enjoy and be well.

Poor sleep leads to serious health consequences in a relatively short time period as compared with eating bad food or not getting enough exercise. Our brain regulates sleep so that if we don’t get enough we developed a sleep debt and our brain works very hard to force us to pay it back. This means whenever there is a quite moment like when we are driving or maybe operating heavy machinery our brain will cause us to sleep resulting in injuries, disasters, and death. In the United States 10,000 deaths are reported from falling asleep whilst driving; this figure is thought to be underestimated of the actual figures.

The lack of sleep also affects our mood, poor cognitive performance, poor memory, impaired ability to learn and low energy level. Long-term effects include Obesity, Diabetes, Impaired insulin sensitivity, Arrhythmia, Heart attacks, Strokes, Depression and low resistance to infectious diseases.

• “Studies show short sleepers are three times more likely to develop colds than comparable individuals who average 8 hours of sleep.”

• “Individuals with sleep problems were 9 times more likely to have planned suicide and 7.5 times more likely to have attempted suicide. Recent studies of suicidal patients showed that treating their sleep disorders led to healthier scores on clinical scales that measure suicidal thoughts and behaviors.”

- Professor H. Craig Heller.

How to improve sleep?

Drugs.

For short-term only, to get into a sleeping rhythm, OTC remedies or prescription drugs can be used. OTC remedies include diphenhydramine or Melatonin. Prescription drugs include Benzodiazepine such as clonazepam, Valium and Non – Benzodiazepines such as Imovane or Restoril. Sometimes tricyclic antidepressants can also we used to induce sleep very effectively; these include Trazodone, Amitriptyline and Doxepin.

Sleep hygiene

The most importance aspect of good sleeping is getting the “sleep hygiene” right. This include:–

1. Keep regular schedule of sleep and awaking- even on the weekend- your biological clock then wouldn’t fight with you.
2. Sleep only as much as you need to feel rested, don’t over sleep – this will only interfere with the sleep on the following day.
3. Do not force yourself to sleep – you don’t want to reinforce that sleep is a chore or difficult.
4. Maintain good sleeping environment – no noise, comfortable and relaxing; not too hot or cold.
5. Exercise regularly at least 2 twenty minutes per day – avoid intense exercise just before bed.
6. Avoid caffeinated beverages from mid- afternoon. Do not smoke.
7. Don’t eat just before bed but don’t go to bed hungry either.
8. Don’t take your worries to bed.

Other useful techniques.

Cognitive Behavior therapy help improve sleep by changing your ideas and attitudes towards sleep. It helps to create and maintain a strong association between sleep and bed.

Relaxation techniques nearing bedtime: a warm bath, calm music, meditation and yoga. Involves clearing your mind and focusing on one part of your body at a time. Starting with your feet, consciously relax your toes, your ankles, your lower legs and so on.

Resources

Secrets of Sleep Science: From Dreams to disorders

By Professor H. Craig Heller.

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• Molecular Key To Exhaustion Found Following Sleep Deprivation (medicalnewstoday.com)

http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/difference-heart-rate-recovery-time-after-workout-8281.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/260805-the-recovery-heart-rate-time-after-cardio-exercise/

Set realistic goals. Consider your work schedule and other commitments you have. The aim is to move as much as possible everyday and then, at least three days a week, include some strenuous activity that gets your heart rate up and gets you sweating. During aerobic exercise, aim for about 80 percent of the maximum heart rate for you age group. In general, avoid training hard more than three times a week or every other day. Exercise and may you live long and with vitality.

Resources

Related articles

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Vitamins and Supplements. 

Vitamins are nutrients that our bodies can’t manufacture, so we need them from external sources. There seems to be no difference between natural and synthetic vitamins. The difference seems to be in the fact that when you get them from food they are more effective. It is thought that maybe other chemicals (phytochemical) from the plants are acting with the vitamins to make them more effective; and further we get vitamins from food in the right proportions to these chemicals. To put it in another way; taking vitamins in pill form doesn’t allow our body to use them synergistically with other nutrients under optimal conditions.

The functions of vitamins include acting as a hormone messengers (vitamin D), regulators of tissue growth and cell differentiation (Vitamin A), and antioxidants (vitamin A, C, and E).

You may have heard that people who take supplements and vitamins are generally healthier than the rest of us. That maybe true but it’s not from taking supplements. Michael Pollen in his book “ In defense of food” suggests that these people are healthier not because of them taking the supplements but because they are typically more health conscious, better educated and more affluent. This means they eat healthy diet mentioned in my previous posts, they sleep at least seven hours, exercise and manage their stress more effectively. Studies certainly confirm that taking vitamins in a form of a pill does not confer the benefit. Taking Vitamins in high doses may actually do more harm.

Dietary Supplements are nutrients and chemicals that when added to a diet might lower the risk for some health problems and might improve overall bodily function.

Antioxidants are major category of supplements. They protect the damage to the cells by neutralizing free radicals and their intermediates. The sources of destructive free radicals include ultraviolet and other forms of radiation, toxins, and pollutants. Free radicals contribute to the development of many diseases. We have both internal and external naturally occurring antioxidants. Glutathione is one, along with vitamins C and E and numerous enzymes. Fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and nuts are dietary sources of antioxidants. Recent research suggests that mega-doses of antioxidants taken, as supplements cannot prevent heart disease or diabetes as it was hoped. Large doses may actually be harmful. Rather, it is better to pig out on carrots, sweat potatoes, chard, asparagus, papaya, prunes, oranges. …and the whole vast arrays of foods that are delicious and are good for you

Calcium is used to prevent osteoporosis, it has also been suggested that it may have value for cardiovascular health and cancer prevention. Conclusive evidence in this regard is not yet available but we do know that too much calcium may actually be bad for your heart. This is unlikely to happen if we relay on food as a source of calcium, such as dark green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds.

Fiber is another commonly used supplement, which keeps bowels soft and may help to eliminate toxic wastes.  There is some evidence that it may offer some protection from heart disease, colon and breast cancer, and lower blood sugar in diabetics.

Herbal supplements commonly used include ginkgo biloba, ginseng, and Echinacea; however there is very little science to back up their claims.

Polyphenols are organic chemicals that belong to a family of several thousand compounds referred to as flavonoids. They are found many fruits, berries, pomegranates, grapes, wine, walnuts, olive oil, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, and tea. Their antioxidant properties can reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Garlic has allicin and turmeric has curcumin , both are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Recent studies suggest allicin improves lipoprotein balance and may reduce arteriosclerosis and fat deposition in blood vessels.

Finally, probiotics are active bacteria found in yogurt and are sold as supplements. Their active bacteria is good for you but you may not need it all the time.

There are situations when supplements can be helpful, but not everyone needs a supplement and they may not need them all the time. Probiotics are useful when you take antibiotics or have diarrhea. As we age our ability to absorb supplements, vitamins and minerals from food decline. It is suggested by some that its probably is a good idea and it certainly can’t do hurt to take multivitamin and mineral pill after age fifty.  It would not be a good idea to take more than twice the Recommended Daily Allowance.

This is a very general guideline about vitamins and supplements. The specifics can be different for everyone and one should discuss them with a dietician and your doctor.

Related articles

• Vitamins & Supplements…Which Ones Do You Really Need. (farmfoodieandfitness.com)
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• [Science Solitaire] The myth of antioxidant supplements (rappler.com)
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Resources

The Science of Natural Healing – by Dr Mimi Guarneri

In Defence of Food – by Michael Pollan

Lifelong Health: Achieving Optimum Well- Being at Any Age  - By Professor Anthony A. Goodman.

Food allergies and food sensitivities.

When people are allergic to some food, they may experience mild to severe allergic reaction ranging from mild rash, tingling of mouth, swelling of lips or eye, to the other extreme of a severe anaphylactic reaction when the whole face may swell up, with generalized rash, choking, inability to breath and death. This type of reaction happens quickly.

There are lots of people who may not be allergic to a particular food but are sensitive to them. This causes chronic irritation and inflammation. It may manifest itself by a person experiencing vague symptoms such as fatigue, trouble sleeping, mental fogginess, mood changes, irritability, anger, skin irritation or a skin rash. Joint pain, gas , bloating, nasal congestion, post nasal drip, recurrent ear or sinus infections can also be related to food allergies.

If you have any or some of these symptoms then there is good likelihood you have food sensitivity. The most common food groups implicated to food sensitivities are: dairy, gluten, corn, soy, peanuts and eggs.

Elimination diet.

How does one find out what you maybe sensitive to? There are no good laboratory tests that can identify what you maybe sensitive too. The only way to sort it out by a process called elimination diet. First you eliminate all food groups from the diet for two weeks. Then you reintroduce one food at a time for one day and notice if the symptoms come back when a food group is reintroduced. If the symptoms come back during the following two days then you are likely sensitive to that food group, continue reintroducing new food group every third day until all are tested one at a time.

Those food group identified as causing symptoms are then eliminated from the diet forever and hopefully you feel lot better. One generally work with a dietician when going on an elimination diet.

Resources:

The Science of Natural Healing – by Dr Mimi Guarneri