More on Aspartame

Back on the Aspartame bandwagon today - a new study was brought to my attention which links Aspartame consumption with both Dermatitis and Migraine. The study by Jacob and Stechschulte explains that "upon ingestion, aspartame is broken, converted, and oxidized into formaldehyde in various tissues". Of the patients studied, avoidance of Aspartame was the clear solution for alleviating their problems with both migraines and dermatitis. Problems reappeared when the patients went back to using products containing Aspartame.

I've blogged previously on the concerns of Aspartame. Its amazing how often it appears in our food supply - if you want to avoid it, you need to check those labels!

I recently blogged about my morning sickness and my decision to change supplements. It was interesting that the Vitamin B supplement I chose comes in a fizzy tablet and a regular tablet. The fizzy tablet carries warnings on the packet about containing Aspartame and Phenylenaline. So even a simple supplement needs to be checked! (Needless to say, I chose the straight tablet without the Aspartame).

Cinnamon

"Practical" should be my middle name. I just love it when I find out about things that are going to make my life easier, healthier and give me more peace of mind.

Earlier this week, Dr Mercola published a wonderful article on the health benefits of the spice Cinnamon. Some of the benefits he lists are:

• Benefits to diabetics


• Support for digestive function


• Relief for congestion


• Relief of pain and stiffness of muscles and joints


• Anti-inflammatory compounds that may relieve arthritis


• Help in preventing urinary tract infections, tooth decay and gum disease


• Relief for menstrual discomfort


• Blood-thinning compounds that stimulate circulation

I had just posted a blog on morning sickness and it sounded like cinnamon might help me as well (a lot of my morning sickness seems to be related to digestion issues). So I googled around a bit to find some recipes. I found a list of 25 tips for using Cinnamon of which these were my favourite:

• First aid tips: sprinkle on a small cut to stop the sting and assist healing; for diarrhea, steep 1 - 3 teaspons in a cup of hot water for 10 - 15 mins, strain and drink


• Around the home: mix cinnamon with baking soda and sprinkle around the house as a carpet freshener before vaccuming; put cinnamon around plants to prevent mould and make your own room freshener by simmering 1 tsp coconut extract, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp orange peel and 1 tsp allspice


• For food: put on finger tips when crimping a pie crust; add to anything chocolatey (cake etc); add a pinch to chicken noodle soup and hamburger buns for instant extra flavour; shake in a bag with cut apple slices to bring out the flavour.

There were lots of recipe sites too, for example the McCormick website which includes sweet and savoury recipes.

After reading Dr Mercola's post I got a sudden craving for Pumpkin Pie, found some nice recipes on the web, went home and made one after work. It was lovely! This post has been a bit more lighthearted but I hope you've enjoyed it.

Assistance with Morning Sickness

I am 24 weeks this week, and still struggling with terrible Morning Sickness. A few weeks ago I decided I would start Maxolon because I was really "over" vomiting up to 4 times a day. The Maxolon has certainly helped, although I still seem to "ride the bowl" every other day. Overall I feel very much less than my usual self: I lack energy and appetite and feel rather nauseated and awful most of the time. It kind of takes the shine off being pregnant.

So I'm trying a few home remedies as well. Here is what I am doing if there is a chance this will help someone else. I've googled a lot to see what other morning sickness sufferers suggest and have tried these suggestions with definite improvements:

• propping up the end of the bed with a couple of solid hardcover books.
  I was most likely to be sick first thing in the morning and dry crackers (the usual suggestion) did not help me (the mere thought of dry crackers sent me running to the bathroom). Raising the end of the bed has really helped me.
• acupressure wrist bands. These are commonly worn for car sickness or other travel related motion sickness. I have found they made a big difference in reducing my general feeling of nausea.
• light and frequent meals. I can't face meat, fish or heavy carbs at the moment and with a reduced appetite there isn't much which appeals. I find if I eat small portions of light food I don't feel too bad. Smoothies, fresh or stewed fruit and yoghurt (never choose diet brands or products containing Aspartame, particularly when pregnant), all seem to go down well for me. Scrambled eggs and custard have also been good. I've recently been taking my usual probiotic and a powdered milk-based protein supplement in my smoothies which have helped my nutritional balance and tastes lovely.
• supplements. I am taking a few pregnancy supplements: a multivitamin, iron and minerals but none of these have helped the morning sickness symptoms. I have been taking a well-known morning sickness formula but have decided to try an alternative which is a combination of a reputable B-group vitamin supplement plus a lesser well known (but reputable) brand which contains Ginger, Cordyceps sinensis, Ganoderma lucidum and Pseudostellaria heterophylla. This new combination seems to be giving me considerably better results. After only a few days I feel much more like my usual self and think I have regained some quality of life.

Its a bit of trial and error - everyone seems to be slightly different and what works for some might not work for others. None of the websites I've linked to are keen to endorse use in pregnancy. This is because specific studies haven't been done. But as I've reported previously, there are few drugs that are tested for pregnancy because drug companies don't want to face litigation risk in conducting the testing. I am going to just trust my instincts on this one.

Personally, I've felt very frustrated by the usual approach to morning sickness, which seems to be: oh dear, poor you, I'm sorry but you don't have many options for feeling better. This isn't easy advice to live with when you work part time and have an active 2 year old and husband to attend to.

I would really encourage anyone suffering as I have to keep looking for answers which will suit your particular needs, so long as you never expose yourself or your baby to unnecessary risks.

If you would like the names of the supplements I have tried, please feel free to contact me and see if they might help you as well. As always, if there is anything we can do to help you at the Health Highway please get in touch.

Food safety and your immune system

Earlier in the week I blogged about the dangers of placing a handbag on any surface that may come in contact with food - the biggest risk being a nasty tummy bug. I suggested that if you did get an upset stomach, the best remedy would be high doses of a good quality probiotic, which we can gladly supply.

Dr Mercola posted an article recently on How to tell when Leftovers go bad where he also recommends a good quality probiotic for tummy bugs. If you do eat something bad, he says you can minimize your risk of getting sick by keeping your immune system strong. His tips for a strong immune system are:

• Avoid sugar
• Get enough sleep
• Eat garlic regularly
• Deal with stress in a healthy way
• Exercise

How well are you looking after yourself? If you would like to know more about probiotics and their health benefits or if we can help you in any other way, please feel free to contact us at the Health Highway.

Handbags

This post is more for the girls, but also appropriate to the guys if you carry or use a manbag. A friend recently forwarded an email on bacteria tests conducted on women's handbags by Microbiologist Amy Karen of Nelson Labs (Salt Lake). The email said "most of the ladies we talked to told us they wouldn't be surprised if their handbags were at least a little bit dirty. It turns out handbags are so surprisingly dirty, even the microbiologist who tested them was shocked".

It went on to say: "nearly all of the handbags tested were not only high in bacteria, but high in harmful kinds of bacteria. Pseudomonas can cause eye infections, staphylococcus aurous can cause serious skin infections, and salmonella and e-coli found on the handbags could make people very sick".

"In one sampling, four of five handbags tested positive for salmonella, and that's not the worst of it. "There is fecal contamination on the handbags," says Amy. Leather or vinyl handbags tended to be cleaner than cloth handbags, and lifestyle seemed to play a role."

The advice was to treat your handbag the same as you would a pair of shoes - do not put it on the kitchen bench, your work desk, or any other area where food might be prepared or you might place food down while you are eating.

Be aware of where you place your bag, especially in public. Always use a hook if you can when using public ammenities and clean the bottom of your bag regularly.

If you suffer an upset tummy my advice would be to try a really high quality probiotic to help restore intestinal balance. We promote one of the leading market probiotics at the Health Highway and would be happy to discuss your options.

If we can help you with your health in any way, please get in touch with us at the Health Highway.