It is already December and the end of another year which hopefully was better for most of us than the last. I have re-joined the gym and am thankful to be going swimming again at The Diplomat Hotel in Llanelli. We went as a family and had an enjoyable weekend swimming, where I also went to the gym. We went for Sunday lunch which is quite nice in the restaurant, but forgot that you have to pay for a starter and main course, so any desserts are extra. After not having a starter and paying anyway we went elsewhere for coffee and dessert. I am trying not to overindulge this Christmas and am glad I joined.
Oxidative damage is a basic tenet of chronic diseases according to the Kesser Institute of functional medicine. I have written before about the rising rate of diabetes that can also be attributed to insecticides. It also states that poor nutrition, lack of exercise, stress, lack of sleep and environmental toxins can cause autoimmunity.
I was going to the gym nearly every day, walking, taking supplements, eating well, sleeping well and so on when I got Type 1 and, also for any child that has it, it really would not apply, except pesticides are poisons that kill more than insects. We could be exposed to living in rural communities or eating contaminated vegetables and fruit. Interestingly, a study proposes that glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, is the most causal factor in the gluten intolerance and celiac epidemic according to a study in Interdisciplinary Toxicology. Where these epidemics have grown in tandem with the spraying of crops with the herbicide, before the harvest from the 1980’s and the most popular weed killer and herbicide in the UK. UK councils have been assessing its impact on human health after a cancer court case in the U.S and where it has been found in bread. So, are we gluten or glyphosate intolerant?
In the Salem witch trials that took place in Colonial Massachusetts from 1692, women were accused of practicing witchcraft that, started with two young girls whose strange body contortions, screams and epileptic fits, was claimed by their physician because they were possessed by the devil. Evidence unearthed since then suggests that harvested grain crops of rye were susceptible to a particular fungus and during the erkot stage produced a number of alkaloids that would affect circulation and neurotransmission in humans. What if fungi and insecticides are affecting us now in the age of chronic disease?
It is time I took a high quality vitamin and having researched the options I decided that I cannot take the array of horse tablets on offer, as I cannot swallow them so instead buy some Vitafusion, Women’s Gummy Vitamins as they seem to contain all of our daily needs, (Amazon UK ) although there are sugar free versions, it is minimal in this one – I will take it. I also use Quick Fix Circle Hair Mask that is a Cult Beauty buy and needs to be put on for ten minutes, who has any time for longer?
Containing red clay and hyaluronic acid for silky smooth hair. I have been noticing more falling out and thinner on top due to those pesky peri-menopausal years and having a condition that saps the life out of you.
Someone at the gym asks me what I have stuck on the back of my arm. Her assistant guessed it was a sensor for Type 1 Diabetes and I then explained how I can test my blood sugars with my iphone – brilliant!
She exclaims and I show her that my blood sugars are in the 20’s after being in the gym for 40 minutes. She gasps again as her husband and father who are both Type 2’s due to their lifestyle are much lower than that but eat rubbish and do not exercise. Hardly, fair but hence, my need for a better way to administer insulin ie. Through a pump. Keep pushing, she tells me otherwise, you can have cardiac problems. This, I do know and my lunch consists of soup, no roll. I have my carb counting books, Glucose buddy app, my Freestyle Libre of course.
Whilst, in the gym I read about the benefits of taking turmeric and fish oils the former, a popular Asian spice comes from the turmeric plant where the root contains curcumin, a powerful antioxidant that have anti-inflammatory properties where, inflammation can be understood as the root of all diseases including cancer, ulcerative colitis and pain.
It can also treat arthritis, kidney problems, joint pain (although, this is surpassed by CBD oil, these days,) irritable bowel syndrome, osteoarthritis, speeding up the healing of wounds and controlling psoriasis. It can also assist with Crohn’s as a supplement instead of the harmful effects of steroids, supporting the growth of good bacteria.
Roseto, a city in Pennsylvania was part of a study by Dr. Benjamin Falcone, where the region was undertaken, as all the statistics in the city defied the usual predictors of a heart attack. Composed of 1,600 residents mainly from a close-knit Italian community they reported less than one half the rate of neighbouring city Bangor with 5,000 residents. All shared the same risk factors of a heart attack, smoking, drinking and diet, yet, Roseto had a very low heart attack rate, less than 20 per cent even with cholesterol over 200, whereas Bangor statistics were the same as the US as a whole.
As there were no other determining factors as to why this was occurring Falcone put it down to closer family ties and community cohesion and that human biology is greatly influenced by social environment. I am no medic but I know quite a few people who have had a heart attack, one was through stress, another had moved to Spain and was enjoying the lifestyle with a close knit community of expats and another had Type 1 Diabetes.
Obviously, high blood sugars through no fault of our own as we have no pancreas cells to release insulin and rely on injected insulin or in a pump, a governing factor and many of us struggle to control them. It has long been assumed that poor diet and lack of exercise contribute to a heart attack yet, an article that appeared in The Journal of The American Medical Association attributed that tension, frustration as well as sadness double the risk of permanent heart damage.
For instance, I have just had a Greek yoghurt with a few berries, chia seeds and trail mix and I am in the 20’s already. Type 2’s are also at risk and should walk, eat well and cut back on alcohol, whilst giving up smoking. That said, I know a lovely couple who came for tea and were both Type 2, so I made reduced sugar carrot cake with no icing and served strawberries, carrot batons, as well, as a few other treats. They relayed to me that their lifelong stint until retirement in the food and hospitality industry had led to lifestyle choices that meant eating at midnight and drinking, whilst waking up late for the next working day to begin. They are both strict with diet, go walking and look very well, indeed. I have also heard from a friend who has Type 2 Diabetes that she led an unhealthy lifestyle due to being a mental health nurse, purely as breaks were delayed, food was eaten later and she had no time for exercise.
I practice stress management (probably, because I needed it myself) and used to visit big clients, one of whom was the Managing Director of Skecher shoes. I visited him at the house I used to go and play at as a child (having known his daughter at school), this was unbeknown to her. When I got to his house I found him pacing the floor, rubbing his hands through his hair and with an increased heart rate and tension. (Obviously, I could not measure anything as I am not medically trained and he was under medical supervision.)
I gave him a stress management course I had written in and treated him with some Reiki as he lay on my couch, (like a massage one) and he completely drifted off for an hour. I left him and told him to practice the breathing and relaxation techniques in my manual and visited him again for another session.
This time he was breathing better, had stopped pacing and he told me his heart rate was better too. We did another session where he drifted off and he asked me as he awoke what my advice would be to stop being stressed out as his health was at risk. I told him ‘to leave his job’, and after a shocked look on his face, I never saw him again. Two months later I heard he was in fact in a completely different job and was far more relaxed where his health had dramatically improved.
I have also been really honoured to have taken meditation classes both in Llanelli and Carmarthen for Versus Arthritis with wonderful groups who found that meditation helped manage their pain and mental health.
Although, I was tested negative for coeliac disease, it contains the same gene as Type 1. Gluten has been attributed to a probable cause of Type 1 or a food intolerance that permeates the gut and crosses with the beta cells that produce insulin.
This, is complete layman’s terms and I would not trust the validity of this due to testing processes although, it states more than half when tested, had an intolerance. It is also known that dairy products, especially cow’s milk can be attributed to the formation of Type 1 Diabetes.
So if we stop eating wheat products even the brown or whole wheat versions we are left with gluten free options that now grace shelves in most supermarkets, health food shops and independent stores. These are also carbs and more carbs – hence, we can purchase low carb versions such as those on, www.lizza.net.
Living with any chronic disease is difficult, lonely and usually stuck in a medical system that treats the body as a mechanic treats a car, except it cannot be fixed.
That is why empowering ourselves is the only course of action.
You can only show up, dress up and smile through the pain, whether its physical or affecting your mental health.
Have a great Christmas and see you next year!
