Why are people so resistant to changing their diets?
According to surveys there are many reasons or excuses people have why they can’t change their diet to help relieve their suffering.
1 Taste According to the research taste is the number one reason. We are such creatures of habit very reluctant to try new things. My mother is a typical example of this, many times after much persuasion she might try something new and actually like it. There are even times when she doesn’t dislike a food enough that she actually continues to consume that food and she eventually likes it. Our taste buds need time to adjust, and we need to be open to new things.
2 Convenience If it’s not convenient people won’t do it. That is why the food industry has made a huge fortune on convenience foods. The answer might be easy foods that are assembled so to speak.
Read MoreWhat are the top 7 exercises for arthritis suffers?
Sonia Jones ND from the Haven Spa and Health Clinic
Arthritis sufferers are being told they must exercise – and this can be a daunting thought when you are in so much pain, and full of stiffness and so tired from the lack of sleep, because the pain and discomfort keeps you awake half the night.
You certainly can’t do any high impact exercise.
However, there are plenty of low impact exercises that have helped a lot of people to ease their pain, reduce their stiffness, given them more balance and stability. As the body relaxes less pain is experienced and you are able to sleep better, which makes the whole day look so much better.
Exercises in the pool - helps arthritis sufferers. Do your exercises in the water is easier on your joints,the water’s buoyancy supports your body’s weight which reduces stress on the joints and minimizes pain. But you still need to be careful to not over do things at first. You can walk in the shallow end of the pool, especially if you find walking normally to painful. Not everyone has access to a pool.
You do need to bear in mind that exercising, swimming and walking in water is not bone-building exercises.
Yoga actually began more than 3,000 years ago in India. The word yoga is Sanskrit (one of the ancient languages of the East). It means to “yoke,” or unite, the mind, body, and spirit.Yoga includes physical movement, and certain lifestyle practices. Training your mind, body, and breath correctly is fundamental. The physical part of the yoga lifestyle is called hatha yoga. Hatha yoga focuses on poses. A person who practices yoga goes through a series of specific poses while controlling his or her breathing. Some types of yoga also involve meditation and chanting. It has been noted to improve your flexibility, strength, balance, and stamina. In addition, many arthritis sufferers who practice yoga say that it reduces anxiety, pain, and stress, improves mental clarity, and even helps them sleep better.
Pilates can easily be tailored to your individual needs, contracting muscles without moving joints can be useful when joints are inflamed. Then there is the movement of both muscles and joints helping to build strength and mobility. Pilates like most exercises recommended in this article pays particular attention to breathing correctly.
For an arthritis sufferer there are what is called closed chain exercises, they put less strain on the joints, working muscles groups.
Callanetics once popular, very popular and well known is coming back with a program for people with arthritis type conditions.
“Callanetics is a unique program that works your muscles with very small and very intense pulses. It’s a technique that gets results because every movement is mindful and precise (each pulse moves less than an inch). The concept was invented in the 1980s, but these movements have truly “evolved” (with new progressions that incorporate spinal stabilization, pelvic floor engagement and Pilates elements). It has a very refined feel — quiet piano music, methodical instruction and lots of between-move stretches”.
Qigong is an ancient Chinese health care system that integrates physical postures, breathing techniques and focused intention. Qi pronounced chee means the life force. Gong pronounced gung means accomplishment. Qigong practice involves a posture, (whether moving or stationary), breathing techniques, and mental focus. The gentle, rhythmic movements of Qigong reduce stress, build stamina, increase vitality, and enhance the immune system. It has also been found to improve cardiovascular, respiratory, circulatory, lymphatic and digestive functions. It also creates a balanced life style, which brings greater harmony, stability, and enjoyment.
Tai Qi It is increasingly being recognized that regular exercise reduces pain, fatigue, and depression, especially through the ancient art of Tai Qi.
Tai Qi integrates mental and physical exercises to achieve a more complete, in-depth solution to the problems facing sufferers of arthritis and osteoarthritis. Gentle stretching and strengthening movements, exercises to increase the joints’ range-of motion, cardiovascular work, in conjunction with mental exercises.
Deep breathing and visualization exercises help evoke healing energy and spirituality to reduce inflammation and stress. The mind-body exercises for arthritis can be modified and performed on a chair you are able to do them standing and moving slowly.
Walking has always been good for any condition. You can decide how far you can walk, you can walk as slow as you like at first. It is free and allows you to get fresh air and some UVs. Make sure you have walking shoes on with plenty of shock absorbency, making the experience as low impact as possible. You can wear a pedometer, this will tell you exactly how far you are walking each week – this will enable you to set goals.
Remember these exercises will not cure your arthritis but if you make one of them part of your life with other lifestyle changes you will make a huge difference to your condition, especially if you change your diet.
Some people have told me they just don’t have the money for classes. So what can be done instead – second best thing would be a DVD that specializes in the older person, or is designed for someone with one of the many types of arthritis conditions. Walking is free and safe with the right shoes.
Read More
Adrenal Glands and the Pancreas
Sonia Jones ND from the Haven Spa and Health Clinic
Enter the pancreas and the two little adrenal glands, they are the emergency team.
What do I mean by this? Every time you eat foods that are high in sugar and/or white flour our blood sugar levels get elevated, giving us a boost and for a short while we feel better. Sounds good you think. The trouble is most foods and drinks people choose, are processed in the body too quickly and overwhelm our systems, blood sugar levels become too high, the system is flooded. This is not a good situation, especially if this is happening on a daily basis, and more so if you have a chronic disease like arthritis. You are putting your already compromised body thought needless extra stress.
At the clinic we see many people that where hooked on various foods and drinks that keep them trapped.
We have all heard of insulin, it’s a hormone produced by the pancreas. Most people think of diabetes when they hear the word insulin. The pancreas is an organ and a gland. One part of the pancreas produces digestive enzymes needed by our digestive system to continue the process of digestion after the food leaves the stomach. The enzymes enter the digestive system via a tube targeting a specific area. The part we are talking about here produces insulin which enters the blood stream where it circulates and has an effect on the whole body.
The adrenal glands produce hormones to make sure your blood sugar levels don’t drop too low, forcing the liver to get involved. While you make poor food choices your system is put under a lot of unnecessary strain, which you can ill afford with a condition like arthritis.
Sooner or later your adrenal glands will start to suffer. This is especially so, if you also lead a stressful life, eat badly and drink too much caffeine and are short of nutrients. As you start to feel worse you will end up consuming drug-like foods and drinks more often. This state of hypoglycemia is a common problem amongst arthritis suffers.
Here are some symptoms of Adrenal Exhaustion
·Sensitivity to fumes
·Mood swings
·Dark circles under the eyes
·Dizziness on standing up a little too quick
·Lack of alertness
·Tendency to catch a cold easily during the change of seasons
·Headaches
·Salt cravings
·Sleep disturbances
·Tired after a night’s sleep
·Feeling stressed
·Need for caffeine to get you going in the morning
·Startle easily
·Food intolerance
·Recurrent chronic infections such as yeast
·Low tolerance to alcohol
·Sensitive to bright light
·Feeling weak
·Chronic heartburn or other digestive problems
·Lack of thirst
·Sweet craving
·Alternating constipation and diarrhea
·Nervousness
·Exhaustion
·Depression
·Forgetfulness
·Anxiety
·Rapid pulse
·Muscle aches
·Crying spells
·Leg cramps
·Blurred vision
Our adrenal glands help us to deal with all sorts of stress. They also help the thyroid to regulate our body.
Here are some of the things that affect your adrenal glands in a negative way:
·going hungry
·skipping meals
·fasting
·eating too many refined foods
·eating too much salt
·sugar
·overworking
·drinking caffeine
·too much alcohol
·too much stress
·not getting enough sleep
Read MoreHair Analysis – could it help Arthritis
Sonia Jones from the Spa and Health Clinic
Having your hair analyzed – I must say is not the be all and end all but it could be yet another clue, another piece of the jigsaw into your arthritis condition.
This concept is hardly new, it was used as part of a biopsy used in forensic science to determine amongst others things – arsenic poisoning. Archaeologists have studied the mineral content of hair mummified thousands of years ago.
The hair needs to taken from the scalp but the needed is quite small. Taking the hair from close to the head means the reading will represent several month maybe a couple of years. The last time I looked the price of the test seemed reasonable.
What will your hair tell you?
Trace elements are found and needed minute amount but are vital to the body.
This part of the analysis is controversial due to the disputes on its accuracy.
zinc
copper
cobalt
iodine
then others were added
chromium
selenium
molybdenum
However, where hair analysis might be very useful to you and your arthritis condition is identifying your exposure to problematic potentially toxic metals -
lead
nickel
cadmium
arsenic
mercury
aluminum
These can be toxic and is an important aspect to improving your general health and a condition like arthritis.
When any of these metals enter the body in higher amounts than it can handle, over a period of time they cause disruption and varying symptoms.
The list below is far from extensive its just a handful of examples -
As we now know some studies have linked higher levels of aluminum to Alzheimer’s disease.
Do you know why the hatter was call the Mad Hatter? In days gone by lead was used in the hat making industry – making them eventually mad.in our more recent times lead was found in paint, fuel (until unleaded was available).
Mercury could come from your gray filling (amalgam).
Cadmium – smokers have very high levels in the systems.
Many adult vaccines, including the common flu-shot, can still contain Thimerosal – a mercury based preservative.
Deodorants generally contain aluminum. Many people use aluminum cook ware.
Then there lead crystal glass decanters – where alcohol has sat in for months or years.
The soil could have higher levels and so will the produce grown in that soil.
Some fish like those higher up the food chain like shark and tuna have considerable levels of mercury.
Some can cause pain and inflammation others can interfere with your hormone balance other cause fatigue and a whole host of other things,we are all different.
You could be exposed to a particular metal at work or live near certain industries.
If your hair sample analysis comes back and you do have a higher level of a particular metal – investigate where is our exposure coming from and is the rest of your family also exposed.
Things that help to remove metals and improve your general health and improve your arthritis.
Vitamin C
Cilantro
Garlic
Chlorelle or Spirulina (both rich in chlorophyll)
N-acetylcrysteine N-A-C
Far Infrared sauna – drink plenty of water before and after
Magnesium
Dandelion
Plenty of parsley
Read More
Sick building syndrome – can affect arthritis
Sonia Jones ND from the Haven Spa and Health Clinic
Iam not saying for one moment that a building can cause your arthritis, but it can affect your general health, energy and chronic conditions like arthritis. Read on – you might not be aware that buildings have serious problems that can affect your general health and make your condition worse.
There are companies that have far more sickness and absenteeism than other companies – this may not just be down to the management or pay structure or how much stress there is.
Research has revealed some amazing things – some businesses/offices such as large insurance or finance companies have placed a huge amount of plants in the offices – burn aromatherapy – changed the lighting put into place many other measures. They have found over time people were less tired, productivity was up, happier people, and far less absenteeism and sickness!
The things that can affect your building in a negative way -
When I still lived in England we had a house with a cellar. The area in which we lived – under the soil was apparently rocky where radon gas was produced that could fill the cellar and leak up into the house. I remember being given a monitor that was taken a way for analysis, by the local government. As it was thought at over a certain level and over time it could affect you health.
Chemicals – nearly all the furniture today it made from synthetic materials are at least is coated in synthetic stuff. There are carpets, laminates, plastics, fabric treatments, polyurethane surfaces (varnishes but also foams), photocopies and cleaning fluids all giving off fumes.
Electro-magnetism – offices and homes are filled with electrical and electronic equipment These give off significant amounts of electro-magnetic fields that affect us. Some people are more sensitive than others and not all of us will react or get affected in the same way. For instnce most people can wear watches but the odd person can not.
Lighting – it is well known that fluorescent lighting can have a negative effect and make people feel unwell, or drain their energy. Maybe you have just put this down to hard work. The lighting can be changed or turn off the lights and sit nearer the window. Or change the bulbs to fit into the same fittings to be full spectrum lighting instead.
Humidity - humidity on a dry summer’s day is about 50% or so, cold wet days humidity could be as much as a 100%. Without realizing it bacteria, mites and fungi can flush in a building making some people feed quite uncomfortable but have no idea why.
Cooling Towers are part of an air-conditioning system – it is very well known that there have been outbreaks of Legionnaire’s disease, this infection can be fatal for about 205 of people exposed. To avoid this problem they run the system at more ‘dry’ than is normal.
Air flow – often offices and homes do not have enough movement of fresh air. So there can be problems with air that can be too dry and or too humid not moved or refreshed or circulated enough, so people can suffer all manor of symptoms.
Carbon dioxide (OC2) - some solutions are added to say cooling towers for sterilizing purposes, the alkaline natural of this, it lowers the carbon dioxide in buildings – apparently the respiratory center loses its incentive to breath quite as much. Lower levels of blood oxygen means more tiredness, fatigue and yawning. People turn to quick fix snacks with sugar and caffeine to help them get over this feeling – thinking their blood sugar levels have fallen.
Think about your office or home and see how you can improve your environment, improve your health, and in-turn help improve your arthritis.
Read MoreArthritis Statistics
Sonia Jones ND from The Haven Spa and Health Clinic
Don’t be part of these statistics – change your life style – read blogs like these by professionals with experience of helping and treating such conditions like arthritis, you really don’t have to suffer so much – take charge of your own health, take responsibility for it.
An estimated 46 million adults in the United States reported being told by a doctor that they have some form of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, or fibromyalgia.
By 2030, an estimated 67 million Americans ages 18 years or older are projected to have doctor-diagnosed arthritis.
In 2003–2005 – 50% of adults 65 years or older reported an arthritis diagnosis.
An estimated 294,000 children under age 18 have some form of arthritis or rheumatic condition; this represents approximately 1 in every 250 children.
The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis. Other common rheumatic conditions include gout, fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis.
An estimated 27 million adults had osteoarthritis in 2005.
An estimated 3.0 million adults had gout in 2005,
An estimated 5.0 million adults had fibromyalgia in 2005.
Different sectors of the population
Persons aged 18–44, 7.9% (8.7 million) report doctor-diagnosed arthritis.
Persons aged 45–64, 29.3% (20.5 million) report doctor-diagnosed arthritis.
Persons aged 65+, 50.0% (17.2 million) report doctor-diagnosed arthritis.
28.3 million women and 18.1 million men report doctor-diagnosed arthritis.
3.1 million Hispanic adults report doctor-diagnosed arthritis.
4.6 million Non-Hispanic Blacks report doctor diagnosed arthritis.
Obesity
People who are overweight or obese report more doctor-diagnosed arthritis than people with a lower body mass index (BMI).
- 16% of under/normal weight adults report doctor-diagnosed arthritis.
- 21.7% of overweight and 30.6% among obese Americans report doctor-diagnosed arthritis.
- 66% of adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis are overweight or obese (compared with 53% of adults without doctor-diagnosed arthritis).
- Weight loss of as little as 11 pounds reduces the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis among women by 50%.
Impact on quality of life
Approximately 5% of ALL U.S. adults between the ages of 18 and 64 have arthritis and are affected by arthritis-attributable work limitation.
Arthritis and other rheumatic conditions are the most common cause of disability in the United States.
Nearly 41% of adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis report arthritis-attributable activity limitations.
Among adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis, many report significant limitations in vital activities such as:
- walking 1/4 mile—6 million
- stooping/bending/kneeling—7.8 million
- climbing stairs—4.8 million
- social activities such as church and family gatherings—2.1 million
30.6% of adults aged 18-64 with doctor-diagnosed arthritis report an arthritis-attributable work limitation.
The cost of arthritis financially
In 2003, the total cost attributed to arthritis and other rheumatic conditions in the United States was 128 billion dollars, up from 86.2 billion dollars in 1997.
Medical expenditures (direct costs) for arthritis and other rheumatic conditions in 2003 were 80.8 billion dollars, up from 51.1 billion in 1997.
Earnings losses (indirect costs) for arthritis and other rheumatic conditions in 2003 were 47 billion dollars, up from 35.1 billion in 1997.
Treating arthritis means a change in diet – coping with withdrawal symptoms
Sonia Jones ND from The Haven Spa and Health Clinic
Even if you don’t believe that certain foods can cause arthritis (even indirectly) or that certain foods can help to treat your arthritis – it would be difficult to argue a healthier diet would not improve you general quality of life. As I work with people all the time who are suffer with chronic conditions like arthritis I see all the improvements people gain from changing their diets.
Some people think I am crazy when I say you might suffer withdrawal symptoms to certain foods, because you could be addicted to some foods. Most people think of addictions – like drugs, tobacco, or alcohol. It is not easy to give up something you are addicted to, not just because you are attached to the stuff but also because of withdrawal symptoms you will have to cope with. If you have delayed allergies to a particular foods, it will be difficult to resist them without feeling some degree of discomfort. It is shorted lived. For instance the symptoms of withdrawal to caffeine and and sugar will be approximately 48 hours. These symptoms can vary from quite severe like a migraine to something mild like a fuzzy head.
Common temporary symptoms – headaches, irritability, more stiffness and joint pain (shorted lived then there is a marked improvement), fatigue, anxiety, digestive upsets of one description or another, nausea, low blood sugar levels and strong food cravings. Most people are absolutely fine by day 3, some by day 4, rarely do symptoms go 7 days.
Vitamin C supplement helps you to cope with the worst of the symptoms. Vitamin C helps by stimulating the production of the anti-inflammatory prostaglandins (1 and 3). Vitamin C is detoxing helping the body rid itself of certain irritants, helping cleanse the bowels and balance the bowel flora. Vitamin C is a natural anti-histamine which also help to pacify withdrawal symptoms.
Take 1000mg vitamin C capsules – one x three times a day.
Step up your consumption of vitamin C rich foods too.
Read MoreArthritis & Pain Program at The Haven
