Dietary Enigmas
asking questions about our diet
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Archive of "auto immune" Category
Omega 3, Omega 6 and Allergies
Found this article very interesting - there has been an ongoing debate about Omega 6 and the concensus is now that we have too much in our diets and shouldn’t supplement it at all. Omega 3 are a different afair and we need them but even then its not always clear - plant based Omega 3 is not well used by the body so my preference is to use a product called Omega 3 From Nordic naturals - available from the best site on the web.
Healthy Mentors - here to help you
Trehalose - the safe sugarJanuary 14, 2008
Omega-3s Cut Child Allergies in Clinical Trial
Swedish study finds that higher maternal omega-3 intake reduces infants’ allergy risks
by Craig WeatherbyThe human immune system uses the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in cell membranes to make messenger chemicals called eicosanoids.
Eicosanoids, which were made famous by Barry Sears’ Zone diet books, give orders to immune cells: orders that can start inflammation, control how fiery it will be, and end it.
The omega-6 fatty acids in which American diets are overloaded are used to make eicosanoids that prompt inflammation, while the eicosanoids made from omega-3s are either moderately inflammatory or anti-inflammatory.
And recent studies revealed a novel group of immune-system mediators made from omega-3s (resolvins, docosatrienes, and neuroprotectins), which exert independent anti-inflammatory effects.
In short, omega-3s tend to moderate inflammation in the body, while omega-6s tend to promote and extend inflammation.
What does this have to do with allergies?
Diabetes - Caused by Ignorance?
I see so many people who are developing Diabetes simply due to ignorance. Now some sadly choose to (or would choose to) ignore any advice and elect to rely on the medical worlds response which is very effective but still carries enormous risk due to the complications that inevitable come with long term pharmaceutical drug use.
Over the next few days I’m going to cover the subject of diabetes in some detail as many people are living and dying in Ignorance and that makes me MAD.
Diabetes is caused by a problem in the way your body makes or uses insulin. Insulin is needed to move glucose (blood sugar) into cells, where it is used for energy.
If glucose does not get into the cells, the body cannot use it for energy. Too much glucose will then remain in the blood, causing the symptoms of diabetes.
There are several types of diabetes. This article focuses on type 2, which is usually accompanied by obesity and insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance occurs when insulin produced by your pancreas cannot get the necessary Glucose (required for energy) inside fat and muscle cells to release energy. Since the cells are not getting the insulin they need, the pancreas produces more and more. Over time, abnormally high levels of sugar build up in the blood. This is called hyperglycemia. Many people with insulin resistance have hyperglycemia and high blood insulin levels at the same time. People who are overweight have a higher risk of insulin resistance, because fat interferes with the body’s ability to use insulin.
Type 2 diabetes usually occurs gradually. Most people with the disease are overweight at the time of diagnosis. However, type 2 diabetes can also develop in those who are thin, especially the elderly.
Family history and genetics play a large role in type 2 diabetes. Low activity level, poor diet, and excess body weight (especially around the waist) significantly increase your risk for type 2 diabetes.
Other risk factors include:
- Race/ethnicity (African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Native Americans all have high rates of diabetes)
- Age greater than 45 years
- Previously identified impaired glucose tolerance by your doctor
- High blood pressure
- HDL cholesterol of less than 35 mg/dL or triglyceride level of greater than 250 mg/dL
- History of gestational diabetes
Learn More about what you can do simply by diet
Find an alternative to Sucrose
Reduce Stress - or Suffer
I didn’t sleep too well last night. I was worrying about something that keeps nagging at me - what is not important but it’s effect is. Stress, in any form, emotional, physical, infection, invariably affects the way we function. So what does stress affect:
- our immune systems - if we live stressed lives then we will invariably pick up more infections and possibly more serious conditions.
- our hormonal or endocrine systems - when we are stressed we don’t sleep well, we don’t burn fat off - we tend to store it. I remember a guy we were working with who was losing weight really well and then one day he came to me an asked why has the weight stopped coming off. A few quick questions looking for stress identified that his marriage was struggling - major stress - hormonal system shut down the fat burn and that was it. Over time reduce the stress if you want to lose weight.
When you are under stress your adrenal gland works overtime and you seem to have superhuman abilities. However, when you remove the stress you tend to collapse. If you get home from work and sit down and fall asleep - its a good indicator that your stress levels are too high and that you would do well to reduce them - or suffer the longer term consequences of heart disease, diabetes and many other associated diseases.
If you want helpful independent advice with no strings just go to www.healthymentors.com or e mail paul@sugars4life.com
Here we look at 10 top tips for reducing stress at work:
1: Learn to manage your time more effectively
We waste a lot of time doing unimportant tasks so prioritise your day and do the important jobs first.
The unimportant ones can wait, and often they will disappear completely leaving you time to do other things.
Also do not put off the unpleasant tasks. Every time we think about them we cause ourselves stress. Give an unpleasant task a high priority and do it first.
2: Adopt a healthy lifestyle
If we eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly and ensure we get adequate rest our body is better able to cope with stress should it occur.
3: Know your limitations and do not take on too much
We cause ourselves a great deal of stress because we like people to like us and do not want to let people down.
We then end up doing more than we should. Learn to be assertive and how to say no without upsetting or offending people.
4: Find out what causes you stress
Take time to discover what is worrying you and try to change your behaviour to reduce it.
5: Avoid unnecessary conflict
Don’t be too argumentative. Is it really worth the stress? Look for win - win situations.
Look for a solution to a dispute where both parties can achieve a positive outcome.
6: Accept the things you cannot change
Changing a difficult situation is not always possible. If this proves to be the case recognise and accept things as they are.
7: Take time out to relax and recharge your batteries
You will perform much better after a break and easily make up the time you used relaxing.
8: Find time to meet friends.
Friends: Can ease work troublesFriends help us see things in a different way. The activities we engage in with friends usually help us relax and we will often have a good laugh. It boosts the immune system which is often depleted during stress.
If you do become stressed engage in some form of physical activity. It works off the biochemical and physical changes that occur within your body due to stress.
Relaxation helps your body return to its normal healthy state. Good relaxation techniques include breathing exercises, massage and a variety of complimentary therapies.
9: Try to see things differently
If something is bothering you try to see it differently. Talk over your problem with somebody before it gets out of proportion.
Often, talking to somebody else will help you see things from a different and less stressful perspective.
10: Avoid alcohol, nicotine and caffeine as coping mechanisms
Long term, these faulty coping mechanisms will just add to the problem.
For example, caffeine is a stimulant and our body reacts to this with the stress response.
Allergy Epidemic!!! - why
When i heard this report on the morning news i couldn’t help but ask: Why are we facing an allergy epidemic?
- Is it that our young mums and mums to be aren’t getting the nutrition they need before and after conception?
- could it be that the food we are producing is so heavily polluted with chemicals that it is masking the correct functioning of the immune system?
- could it be that our immune systems are so confused by stress, chemicals and lack of proper nutrition that the essential communication mechanisms no longer work correctly and odd things happen?
- Could it be that our immune systems are coming under such pressure that they simply don’t work as well as they used to?
- could it be that our immune systems are being hoodwinked by the presence of environmental toxins that confuse the identification mechanisms that are so central to correct immune system function?
I suspect that it is all of the above and much more. Please click here to listen to a 3 minute audio of what might be at play here and some ideas about what we might do about it.
Allergy epidemic gets ‘poor care’
Allergies have trebled in 20 years
Poor care and confusing advice is being used to deal with an allergy epidemic in the UK, experts have said. The House of Lords science and technology committee warned there were not enough specialist services and that food labelling was inadequate.
The cross-party group of peers said the UK was lagging behind western Europe.
It also called for advice to pregnant women and young children not to eat peanuts to be withdrawn. The government said the findings would be considered.
It comes after the Commons health committee criticised the lack of services in 2004.
Allergy centres
The number of people suffering allergic reactions has trebled in the last 20 years with a third of the population estimated to suffer at some point in their lives.
The government must now take steps to deal with that problem 
Baroness Finlay
Science and technology committee
Each year over 6,000 people in England are admitted to hospital - a quarter of these with anaphylaxis which is a severe and potentially life-threatening reaction involving breathing difficulties.
Allergic reactions are caused by substances in the environment known as allergens, of which the most common are pollen from trees and grasses, house dust mites, wasps, bees and food such as milk and eggs.
Cases of asthma and skin disorders can also be allergy related.
The Lords report called for specialist allergy centres to be set up in each region similar to the models operating in Denmark and Germany.
At the moment there are over 90 clinics, but only six are led by allergy consultants that can treat and diagnose the full range of conditions.
The report said GPs and other health professionals had poor knowledge of allergies and recommended allergy training becomes a more important component of medical training.
Abstaining
The committee also heard evidence that abstaining from eating peanuts in pregnancy and in the early years may be increasing the risk of allergies developing and as a result called for a change to government guidance.
The peers said food warnings - which commonly involve the catch-all term “may contain nuts” - need to be clearer with details of the specific amounts of allergen contained within the product.
The report also called for better training for school staff to deal with allergies.
PEANUT ADVICE
The government currently advises pregnant women and young children not to eat peanuts because of the risk of allergic reactions
But the House of Lords committee said this should be withdrawn after hearing evidence from experts that abstaining may increase the risk of developing an allergy
The Department of Health says the guidance is based on expert advice, but it will look at it after hearing form a Food Standards Agency allergen review
Committee chairman Baroness Finlay said: “We have a severe shortage of expert medical provision to deal with allergies.
“The government must now take steps to deal with that problem.”
Jules Payne from the British Allergy Foundation agreed with the findings
She said: “The problem is clearly at epidemic levels, which the House of Lords report has recognised.
“It also recognises that there’s an appalling lack of allergy services within the NHS in the UK.
“Now at the moment we’ve got people who wait for months, if not years, for a referral to see an allergy specialist, so that really does need addressing.”
Muriel Simmons, of the Allergy UK support group, welcomed the report, saying allergy services needed improving.
But she added: “Similar recommendations were made in 2004, but there has been nothing in the last three years to suggest that the government is taking serious steps to ease the burden of allergy sufferers.”
A Royal College of Physicians spokeswoman said: “A post-code lottery prevails.”
The government said it was waiting to hear from a Food Standards Agency review before issuing updated guidance about eating peanuts.
But Health Minister Ann Keen added the government would be considering the other recommendations of the report.
She said allergy care had “firm foundations” with more than 90 allergy clinics operating in England and more money was being made available to increase specialist allergy training posts to build on that.
- Race/ethnicity (African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Native Americans all have high rates of diabetes)