A cup of Good Cheer, and a vitamin...

“...So when we're stressed, we look haggard. This is just for women, not men!”- Cameron Diaz in The Holiday

While holiday stress affects all of it, statistics show that women are 70% more likely than men to experience depression in their lifetime.

This time of year, is supposed to be the “happiest time of the year”, but let's face it. It's stressful. There's all of those expensive gifts, and the extra time spent with family, the increased holiday traffic, and the songs about snow when all we get is rain and gray... and stress affects your body the same, no matter if it is good stress or bad stress. In addition, the limited filtered sunlight that we get this time of the year contributes to a vitamin D deprivation in most of us, which has been linked to depression. So here in Washington, the happiest time of the year is also for many, well, depressing.

This is a wonderful time of the year, but if you are feeling overwhelmed by the 'holiday cheer', or otherwise gloomy, you're not alone. Now before you grab some eggnog, a gingerbread man, and pop some xanax, consider there may be a real biological reason for what is going on with your mood, and I'm not talking about a mental disorder. I am talking about nutrition.

The food we eat affects our moods. The vitamins we take, or don't take, and even the prescription drugs we take can pay their tole on our bodies and minds. What many people are not aware of it that certain habits, foods, and even doctor-prescribed medications rob your body of essential vitamins and minerals, either by blocking their absorption, or causing you to excrete them at a faster than normal rate. This is one of the many reasons holistic medicine is growing in popularity. The body is an interconnected system, and mood is definitely a major part of it.

I could go on, but instead of continuing this as a lengthy discussion, I will provide you with some very thought provoking facts that I have come across.

Fact: Women who are taking oral contraceptives are likely to be deficient in zinc, folic acid, vitamin C, B6, and B12.(They are also more vulnerable to blood clots, stroke and heart attack).

Fact: Women who are on the pill need B6 (necessary for normal tryptophan metabolism) in the amount of FIFTY to ONE HUNDRED times the amount needed by a non-pill user.

Fact: The following is a list of drugs and medicines that (in varying degrees) rob your body of essential nerve regulating nutrients: Adrenocorticoids, Ammonium chloride, Arthritis medicines, Antihistamines, Antihypertensives, Baclofen, Barbiturates, Beta-Blockers (INDERAL), Chloramphenicol, Diuretics, Estrogens, Fluorides, Glutehimide (DORIDEN), Indomethacin (INDOCIN), Isoniazid (INH, NYDRAZIN), Laxatives, lubricant, Meprednisone (BETAPAR), Methotraxate (MEXATE), Nitrofurantoin (FURADANTIN, MACROFANTIN), Oral contraceptives, Penicillamine (CUPRIMINE), Penicillin, Phenylbutazone (AZOLID, BUTAZOLIDIN), Phenytoin (DILANTIN), Potassium supplements, Prednisone, Procainamide, Propozyphene (DARVON), Pyrimethamine (DARAPRIM), Sulfonamides, Tetracyclines, Triamterene (DYRNIUM), Trimethobenzamide (TIGAN).

Fact: It was a pain in the ass typing out all of the names of those drugs and medications and I probably spelled some of them wrong.

Fact: Sugar (as a refined carb, alcohol etc) can rob the body of B vitamins.

Fact: Caffeine can rob the body of Vitamin C, Vitamin B, zinc and potassium.

Fact: Research has shown that the majority of those who are mentally or emotionally-ill are deficient in one of the B-complex vitamins or Vitamin C.

Fact: Deficiencies in zinc, folic acid, vitamin C, B6, and B12 are linked depression and nervousness.

Fact: Even a normal, happy person can become depressed or experience unusual emotional turbulence when made deficient in niacin or folic acid.

Fact: Vitamin B1 (thiamine) in above-average amounts can help alleviate depression and anxiety attacks.

Fact: Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) Aids in the proper production of natural antidepressants such as dopamine and norepinephrine.

Fact: Vitamin C is essential for combating stress.

Fact: The body cannot store vitamin C, so you need to consume it daily in order to avoid a deficiency.

Fact: Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) helps relieve irritability, improve concentration, increase energy, and maintain a healthy nervous system.

Fact: Vitamin B-12 is plentiful in animal products such as fish, meat, poultry, eggs and milk.

Fact: To be filled with energy and strength you need B vitamins because they help to release energy from the foods you eat by converting proteins, carbohydrates and fats into fuel.

Fact: Vitamin B deficiency is common among athletes, elderly people, vegetarians, pregnant and nursing women and women taking birth control pills. People, who eat lots of sweets, refined and processed foods and very little fresh vegetables, fruits and whole grains, are at risk to develop vitamin B deficiency. Alcoholics are also among those whose vitamin B levels are very low.

Fact: Folic acid deficiencies have been found to be contributing factors in mental illness.

Fact: Calcium alleviates tension, irritability and promotes relaxation.

I hope you find something useful in all of this, and do indeed have a “jolly holiday”.

Cleaning our homes to death.

Let me just start with this frightening statistic:

Stay at Home Mom's/Homemakers have a 54% higher chance of dying of cancer than women who work outside the home.

(Would it help if I mention we can cleanse our bodies of some of these toxins by breast feeding our babies...Though despite this, I still believe breast feeding is the best option over formula)

In the 1930’s, we started making detergent. I’m reminded of the saying “God made dirt so dirt wont hurt”. Our society is definitely obsessed with clean. We have created thousands of other cleaning and disinfecting chemicals. Disinfecting everything. There's an overuse of antibac soap of course, and then all those other chemicals. Chlorine and Ammonia were first used in WWII as a deadly poison (when combined) and now we use them everyday to clean our kitchens and bathroom. We don’t think about the residual spray that gets onto the apples sitting in the fruit bowl, or how the counters may be free of bacteria but are now covered in carcinogens. 

In the 1930’s however, we had other things on our mind. We desperately needed to kill germs to prevent the spread of disease, so for better or worse, this is where we are today. 

There are toxic chemicals in our soaps, shampoos, toothpaste, laundry detergent, deodorant, air freshener, hand lotion, and on and on it goes… 

There are toxic chemicals in our furniture and our stuffed animals, in our plywood cabinets and our vinyl flooring, that leech out into the air we breathe. 

There are toxic chemicals in our water bottles, childrens toys, Tupperware containers, plastic wrap, that leech out into our food and drink, or into the hands and mouths of our children.

Some of these chemicals cause allergic reactions. Some cause cancer. Some have been linked to ADD and asthma in children. Some interfere with neural pathways. Some interfere with reproduction. Some of these chemicals have been shown to cause infertility or low sperm count in men. Some mimic estrogen, and may be a cause of breast cancer. Some interfere with the natural sex ratio, causing populations to have very few boy children born.

Everyone’s body is different and so everyone reacts to these toxins differently. Just like some of us can eat top ramen day and night, and others (like me) get a headache from the MSG.

Its devastating to learn how toxic our daily lives have become. I came across the statistic that, when exposed to one of these toxins, within 28 seconds, trace amounts can be found in every organ in the body.  And sadder still, our precious children, our babies, that we do everything we can to protect, are being poisoned from the moment they are conceived, through our contaminated blood supply, and then more so, when they are born, swaddled in flame retardants, fed though bpa containers and sleeping in rooms sanitized with VOC’s. 

But why is it allowed? How can companies get away with it? Why didn’t we hear about this already?

These are simple questions, with complex answers. Some things can be approved, because we are only going to be exposed to a small amount of the toxic chemicals from each individual source, but there is a totally unknown compound effect when you consider all the sources that are polluting our bodies on a daily basis (and this isn’t even getting into the food we eat). And then there is the whole commercial aspect, which I don’t want to get into here.

I believe if anything is important or worth doing, it’s doing what you can to protect your children and give them the best chance in life that you can. So I am looking at my house today. I am slowly ridding our playroom of plastic toys, and switching my household cleaners for non-toxic replacements. I am going to try to be a better shopper. Our home should be a safe place. A place where we can breathe easy and feel comfort. I don’t think its possible to totally eradicate all toxic chemical exposure, but we can tackle a little at a time, and know that at least things are better than they used to be.

Green alternatives? You can clean almost anything with a combination of some of the following:

Soap, Water, Elbow grease, Lemon Juice, Vinegar, Baking Soda.

Here is a very list of just a handful of the common toxic chemicals you should watch for. I encourage you to look them up and decide for yourself what your top priorities are for detoxing your home.

Phthalates (PVC additives to make plastic flexible, Found in scents, lotions, flexible plastics)- “Phthalates are the primary plasticizer in use today because of performance, cost, durability, and overall product sustainability benefits. Primarily, phthalates are an important ingredient in flexible vinyl products, such as wiring and cabling, wall covering and flooring. They are also used in vinyl blood bags and IV tubing used to help save lives. Other phthalates are used as solvents or fixatives, for example, to make fragrances last long.”

BPA “Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical building block that is used primarily to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate plastic is a lightweight, high-performance plastic that possesses a unique balance of toughness, optical clarity, high heat resistance, and excellent electrical resistance. Because of these attributes, polycarbonate is used in a wide variety of common products including digital media (e.g., CDs, DVDs), electrical and electronic equipment, automobiles, sports safety equipment, reusable food and drink containers, and many other products.

Formaldehyde- (furniture, carpeting, glue, stuffed animals) Leeches out for a while. Does not accumulate in the body.

 PBDEs and Bromine/BFRs- Flame retardants. Found in baby and children’s clothing, furniture etc.

Chlorine/PVC- in vinyl, leaches out the entire lifetime of product

Sodium Laureth Sulfate- in, well, pretty much everything… http://www.natural-health-information-centre.com/sodium-laureth-sulfate.html

"I guess I am just a very Acidic Person...I will have to work on that"

We know sugar should only be eaten in moderation, we know its best to eat sparingly. We watch our sugar intake when we are working on fitting into our swimsuits…but its not just about the calories. It is so much worse….

Sugar and Salt are in most everything in excess amounts in this culture. They both cause high blood pressure and they both lower your body’s PH, which leads to inflammation. Now, think for a moment of all the common ailments people may complain of (depression,  colds, fever blisters, bad skin, athletes foot…) and then think of all the major health concerns and life threatening diseases (cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s…) and then think about what just about all of these have in common: high blood pressure and inflammation.

I have been limiting my sugar for a while now. For years I avoided coffee because I thought it was the caffeine that was affecting me so negatively. Every time I had a coffee, I wouldn’t feel the caffeine, but I would feel the sever crash afterwards. After working as a barista, I came to understand it a little differently. Before I was a “coffee drinker” my drink was a single shot coconut cappuccino. Basically, it tasted nothing like coffee. I started drinking single shot lattés with one raw sugar, and finally made my way to a double tall Americano, splash of milk, NO SUGAR. And guess what. No crash. Turns out, the caffeine speeds up your metabolism, and the massive amounts of sugar I was drinking to mask the coffee taste previously, caused me to have a severe sugar low. Equals crabby Mel.

So, I did a bunch of research and learned about way more than anyone wants to read here. Besides all of the obvious negatives to sugar, and how it affects blood pressure and all that, I want to just say a little about Acidity.

A lot is being realized now about chemicals in our bodies. Simple things like negative thoughts actually produce measurable levels of cortisol, your stress hormone, in the body. So you can think bad thoughts and actually cause yourself to get physically stressed or physically ill.

Sugar also causes stress on the body. Sugar causes your body chemistry to turn more acidic. Your immune system functions at its best in an alkaline environment. More sugar =weakened immune system. When your body is more acidic it is also more prone to inflammation.

This concept of your body’s pH playing such a huge role in your overall health is just amazing. I never thought about it before-this has been such an eye opener for me. I hope that I will be able to see some positive changes in my life as I work on becoming a less acidic person.

I could rant on and on about this topic. But I wont. I will just stop here, and share a couple of links.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/are-you-too-acidic-symptoms.html

http://www.acidalkalinediet.com/alkaline-foods-list/alkaline-food-charts-for-optimal-health

http://www.naturalbodyhealing.com/balance-your-body-ph-levels.html

http://articlesofhealth.blogspot.com/2012/02/all-sugars-are-acidic-and-toxic-to-body.html

fun fact- Acidic Women  tend to have more girls, and Alkaline women have more boys…

Toxic Lullaby

We buy it at the store, we assume it’s safe. But, it’s not necessarily that simple. Unfortunately, “safe” doesn’t mean “‘not likely to harm”, instead it more accurately means “not likely to cause a lawsuit in the immediate future”.   Another part of it is we often have to weigh a small chance of drastic harm, or a sure chance of gradual harm.

Take sleepers and nightgowns for example. Since synthetic fibers melt and shrink in heat, a child in their jammies in the unfortunate circumstances of a fire would likely find their clothing fusing to their skin in the heat. Bad! So, it is required that all sleepwear is doused in flame retardants. This sounds like a good thing, but what do the flame retardants do to your children? The chlorinated and brominated flame retardants used in children’s sleepwear is harmful to the environment and accumulates in the body. Many of these have been linked to cancer, reproductive and nervous system damage and imparing thyroid function. Also Bad!

(On the positive note, in the 1970’s we identified chlorinated Tris as a human carcinogen, and banned it from being use in children’s sleepwear.)

What to do? Buy pajamas made with natural fibers like cotton. All sleepwear made from synthetic fibers has flame retardants (as does your carpet btw!)  If it says “must be snug fitting” that is a good giveaway that it doesn’t have any flame retardants in it.  It is harder to find sleepwear that is free of flame retardants for little babies.  If you must use synthetic fibers, wash the clothes a few times first. That helps a little. The more you wash it the better (here’s where second hand clothes come in handy).

Speaking of washing….like I said, flame retardants are in your carpet too, but that’s not all. They are in so many things from furniture to electronics and we are absorbing the PBDE’s through our skin from the things we touch. New research has shown that frequent hand-washing can drastically reduce the levels of PBDE’s in our bodies.

So, buy natural fibers, wash your clothes, and wash your hands. Simple enough?