HORMONES – What About Men?

HORMONES – What About Men?

Last month we talked about Estrogen dominance and the fact that it may be somewhat epidemic for both genders. I am addressing this topic again from the male side of the issue because it is less talked about, and because the entire topic of hormone imbalance is greatly misunderstood.

Most men are surprised to learn that estrogens are present in their bodies and that at low levels this “female” hormone actually contributes positively to their long-term health and well-being. Male estrogens are essential for a solid libido, optimum brain function, healthy heart and strong bones, and are naturally produced in small quantities as a bi product of testosterone metabolism or conversion. Elevated male estrogen levels on the other hand, can lead to reduced strength and lean muscle mass loss, excessive body fat, especially in the chest and belly, hair loss, enlarged prostate and a decreased ability to produce testosterone. Men will usually notice a decrease in their youthfulness, vitality and sex drive.

What causes this estrogen-testosterone imbalance? The stress of modern life, use of medications and alcohol, intake of emasculating foreign estrogenic-like compounds in processed, packaged foods (and even in our water supply) exposure to environmental contaminants, and excess body fat (which stimulates the production of even more estrogen) are all co contributors.

Unfortunately, unless testosterone level tests show severely lowered levels, there is not much attention given to treatment for the majority of men who suffer from mild or moderate symptoms of hormone imbalance. So, it is usually chalked up to “normal aging.” The usual intervention in the form of replacement with synthetic or “bio-identical” hormones will only create lazy, confused glands and organs that eventually stop producing altogether. Substitution of testosterone through pills, creams or injections will confuse the intricate balance in of the chain of hormone production.

Do you really want to accept loss of health, vitality, strength, stamina and your very masculinity as inevitable signs of aging? Would you be willing to dispute this as nonsense or at least attempt to slow the progression? Here are some steps to consider: remove the toxins in your home and lifestyle; handle your stress with healthy behaviors and exercise: turn off the computer and get your sleep; eat for your health and not convenience.

What does that mean? Eat fresh whole foods - organic whenever possible. Avoid additives like the plague. Also remove grains (especially wheat and GMO corn), soy, sugars, cheap trans-oils (canola) and MSG from your diet.

For a free Quick Start guide to restoring male hormonal balance, please feel free to email our office and we'll send you a copy: cathylidster@gmail.com

Are You Estrogen Dominant?

Are You Estrogen Dominant?

Estrogen dominance is a term John Lee, M.D.₁ created to refer to an all too common and potentially dangerous type of hormonal imbalance. In short, it is too much estrogen relative to the amount of progesterone. Estrogen dominance is not just a female problem. Take a minute to score yourself with the following checklist:

_____sore, swollen breasts, breast tenderness (for women or men)
_____swollen fingers and ankles,

_____ feeling impatient or bossy,
_____fatigue
_____aging process accelerating
_____allergies, including asthma, hives, rashes, sinus congestion
_____autoimmune disorders (including lupus erythematosis, thyroiditis)
_____blood sugar disturbances, especially low blood sugar
_____breast cancer
_____cold hands and feet (a symptom of t1hyroid dysfunction)
_____decreased sex drive
_____depression with anxiety or agitation
_____dry eyes
_____fat gain, especially around the abdomen, hips, and thighs
_____fibrocystic breasts(women or men)
_____gallbladder disease
_____hair loss
_____headaches
_____hypoglycemia
_____inability to focus
_____increased blood clotting (increasing risk of strokes)
_____infertility
_____irritability
_____insomnia
_____memory loss
_____mood swings
_____sluggish metabolism
_____water retention, bloating
_____history of xenoestrogen exposure when you were an embryo (from your mother eating foods containing DDT or taking DES (diethylstilbestrol), a drug used to prevent miscarriage)

For women, do you or did you:

_____take birth control pills
_____take conventional ERT (estrogen replacement therapy)
_____take HRT (hormone replacement therapy)
_____undergo a tubal ligation
_____develop fibrocystic breasts
_____have irregular periods or no periods
_____uterine fibroids
_____uterine cancer
_____pass clots during your period
_____out of control bleeding
_____cervical dysplasia
_____endometriosis
_____endometrial polyps
_____early onset of menstruation
_____PMS (premenstrual syndrome)
_____menstrual pain
_____suffer miscarriage
_____premenopausal bone loss

What Your Score Means:

Regardless of your gender, the higher your score, the more likely you have estrogen dominance. Before jumping to a conclusion, please note that it is the cluster of symptoms, the combination of them, and not the existence of any one of them, that indicate a problem. What can you do if you do score high? First, don’t panic or over react by trying to battle it out with drugs or progesterone supplements. This will only aggravate the imbalance. A holistic approach yields the best results. Next month we will discuss specific things you can do and eat to restore hormone balance. In the meantime you can start by eating organic whenever possible and avoiding pesticides.

₁ John Lee, M.D. and Virginia Hopkins. What Your Doctor May Not Tell You AboutMenopause, Warner Books, New York, 2004, p. 42-43.

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Cathy Lidster, Health Educator/Nutrition/Allergy Practitioner, offers free seminars monthly (see ad for schedule). She can be reached at Centennial Building Wellness Centre, 250-819-9041, or cathylidster@gmail.com

Mindfulness...One Bite At A Time

Recently I participated in an online mindful eating mentoring group with fellow colleagues to fine tune our teaching skills and methodologies in order to better help others. Unexpected side benefits such as weight loss, jaw alignment, and health improvements occurred among us as a result of digging deep into the work. A beautiful example of the adage – to help oneself, look to helping another.

Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, on one’s thoughts, feelings and sensations without judgement. It is particularly helpful when used as a therapeutic technique.

Many people strive to achieve this state through formal means such as yoga, Feldenkrais, meditation and a variety of intuitive trainings. Others tap into the mindful state when they are gardening, walking or running. For myself, achieving this state while playing tennis or golf may take me many lifetimes to achieve. Sigh.

Practicing mindful eating creates wonderful lifelong benefits such as weight loss, better health, more enjoyment and pleasure, feelings of fullness and satiety, and ultimately more self-compassion – How does it get any better than that?

Here are five simple tips as a starter pack:

1. Put down your food or fork after every single bite.

Habits of eating actually begin with the reach of the hand and have nothing to do with hunger. Watch yourself go into auto pilot with your hands. If necessary, sit on your hands between bites in order to convince your brain you really would like to change this habit.

2. WAIT!

As you bring the tiny morsel of food to your lips pause to smell it, really look at it, and anticipate the experience of it. If it’s something especially tasty like chocolate you can make a game of how long you can wait for it. How long is a nanosecond again?

3. Prolong the Bite – food foreplay

Hold the food on your tongue for as long as you can, move it gently and slowly to different parts of your mouth and notice all the sensations – taste, temperature, texture, moisture…

4. Chew verrrrrry slowwwly.

This has many benefits for the digestive system, the taste of your food, and your weight. Have you ever wolfed down your food so fast you don’t even taste it? When you eat fast you do not give your brain a chance to tell you when you are full! Hello? How did these hips get here?

5 Concentrate on the Un-bite – the letting go stage.

Biting and chomping are aggressive actions – necessary when you are being chased or have to eat and run. Time to choose differently.

Enjoy. Enjoy. Enjoy Your Food and everything about the experience of eating. Otherwise what is the point? A fun way to try these steps is with a friend so you can give each other feedback. Allow at least an hour to eat a meal together. You will reach your fullness sensation long before the time is up and well before your plate is empty. If you are thinking - but my mother said it was a sin to waste food and I have to eat everything on my plate or I don’t get dessert  Get over it.

Cathy Lidster, GCFP, ABF, ACN, is a local and international health practitioner and teacher. For more info on Mindful Eating webinars or to challenge her in tennis or golf, call 250-819-9041. Email: cathylidster@gmail.com. Or visit www.naturalmovesforlife.com

What Do GERD and Osteoporosis have in Common?

Alice was the receptionist at the senior centre where I volunteered weekly. She had an engaging sense of humour and a young fresh attitude toward life, though her 70 year old body was stooped with a pretty prominent dowager hump. Her head was positioned forward and downward so it was difficult for her to look up. In the afternoons her grandchildren would show up at the centre so she could watch them after school while she worked. Her duties at the centre also included mopping the floor which was painful on her neck.

Alice was not a complainer by any means but since she had been put on Fosomax for osteoporosis “prevention” she had begun suffering from stomach pains which was wearing down her energy and causing too many sick days. She became worried about her job and her future security and that’s when she showed up in my office. Maybe there was something she could do about her diet. It seemed like she was becoming intolerant to more and more foods and losing her appetite.

Alice had a long history of indigestion, gas and reflux which she had handled over the years with antacids. Taking antacids for many years for GERD or indigestion is a fast track to osteoporosis. The reduced stomach acid will prevent your body from digesting and utilizing the very nutrition your skeleton needs to stay strong.

Most people with GERD and heartburn are actually suffering from INsufficient stomach acid. Instead of taking acid soppers and stoppers, they need supplemental digestive acid and enzymes. When treating the symptom and not the cause of the GERD, it’s a case of painting the ceiling to fix the leak.

The real cause of the problem actually begins with eating inferior processed and artificial foods too quickly and in large quantities such that the digestive system is overwhelmed and cannot produce enough stomach acid and enzymes to handle the burden. The undigested “food” begins to irritate the lining of the gastro intestinal tract. So the body does not get the nutrients it needs to repair the damaged tissue as well as nourishing all the organs and joints of the body.

This person often develops arthritis and osteoporosis. They then begin long term treatment with bisphosphonate drugs such as Fosomax, Boniva, and Actonel, which in turn carry a litany of further side effects, including erosion of the esophagus, long term weakening of the skeleton and potential for spontaneous hip fractures. Now it’s time for narcotics and pain killers and behold the depressing picture of invalidism, pain and decline as evidenced in our nursing homes of today.

Can we reverse this downward spiral of health?

In Alice’s case we completely changed her diet to very simple, uncombined, high quality meals with gently steamed vegetables, fats, simple proteins, no breads or processed foods. We used enzymes and healing supplements such as Okra Pepsin which coats the lining of the digestive tract while providing some enzyme support. She needed a special source of minerals from bone marrow, a calcium supplement derived from vegetables, (not crushed rock) Vitamin C (not ascorbic acid) cod liver oil (super source of Vitamin D and other fat soluble vitamins). And she began a very gentle exercise program (Bones for Life) designed to realign the posture and create the correct impact to stimulate bone building. She gained 2 inches in height!

Submitted as a public service by Cathy Lidster, GCFP, ACNRT. She teaches “Bones for Life” Movement classes and helps clients regain their health with diet and lifestyle changes. For more information on Bones For Life®, Nutrition Response® Testing, or next free health seminar contact cathylidster@gmail.com, visit www.cathylidster.com

or call 250-819-9041.

Food Allergies and GMOs

The Truth about Food Allergies May be Hard to Stomach

Do you remember when food allergies and sensitivities were almost never heard of?  That was before more than 80,000 man- made chemicals were dumped into our water, air and soil beginning in the 1980s.₂ It was before genetically modified foods hit the supermarket shelves in an estimated 30,000 products.₃

Since 1990 there has been a reported 265% increase in allergy related visits to hospital emergency rooms. Peanut allergy cases doubled between 1997 and 2002. One in three children are diagnosed with autism, and/or ADD related to food allergies.₁ It seems like no family is left untouched by the food reactions epidemic.

Since 1994, Health Canada has approved the sale of over 81 genetically modified (GM) foods, including canola, corn, lentils, potatoes, rice, soybeans, squash, tomatoes and wheat. Our government has deemed many GM foods to be safe, however, no studies have been done to substantiate this.

Are these foods safe? Doctors in Quebec discovered that the Bt toxin which is present in Monsanto's "safe" GMO seeds  and which kills insects by rupturing their stomachs, was circulating in the blood of 93% of pregnant woman tested and 80% of their unborn babies.

As a Canadian consumer, you will likely not know if the foods that you buy have been genetically modified since there is no mandatory food labeling of GM ingredients. GM corn can be used in many other foods such as cereal, yogurt, frozen entrees and canned soup. In other parts of the world like Europe, it is mandatory to label GM foods.₄ For export only, our food industry giants reformulate their products to comply with non GMO standards.

What can we do right now to protect our health and reduce adverse food reactions?

1. Eat natural, whole, organic foods

Learn what labels and produce stickers mean

• A 4 digit PLU code means grown "traditionally" with pesticides.
• Five digits starting with "8" means it is genetically modified.
• Organic produce will have a 5 digit number beginning with "9".

Organic foods by definition cannot be genetically manipulated, or grown in soils with chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides for at least 3 years.

Look for labels that state "Non GMO" and "Made without genetically modified ingredients".  

2. Avoid eating packaged, processed foods

 Avoid packaged foods containing soy, corn, and vegetable oils (especially canola) artificial and corn syrup sweeteners. Beware of commercially raised meat, fish, eggs or dairy where the animals have been fed GM foods as again, long term health effects to humans are not yet known.

3. Monitor your food intake and note our body's reactions

If you react to only a few foods or chemicals, try abstention to see if your health changes. If you react to many foods or toxins, do not experience change from eliminating them from your diet, or if you have other unresolved health issues that you suspect are food related, then you might seek help from a practitioner trained in an allergy elimination technique.

When it comes to healthy food choices for you and your family, you cannot be too vigilant. As a consumer, you have the right to demand a healthier food supply in the grocery stores. 

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Cathy Lidster, Health Educator/Nutrition Practitioner offers free nutrition classes monthly (see ad for schedule).  She can be reached at Centennial Building Wellness Centre, 250-819-9041, or cathylidster@gmail.com

References:  1- Unhealthy Truth, Robyn O'Brien, 2009 Broadway Books; 2- Physicians for Social Responsibility, www.psr.org; 3 - Dr. Curt Hamilton, CCN, and Science & Environmental Health Network; Health Canada, http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/. 4 -www.eatrightontario.ca

What Do GERD and Osteoporosis have in Common?

            Alice was the receptionist at the senior centre where I volunteered weekly.  She had an engaging sense of humour and a young fresh attitude toward life, though her 70 year old body was stooped with a pretty prominent dowager hump.   Her head was positioned forward and downward so it was difficult for her to look up.  In the afternoons her grandchildren would show up at the centre so she could watch them after school while she worked.  Her duties at the centre also included mopping the floor which was painful on her neck.

 Alice was not a complainer by any means but since she had been put on Fosomax for osteoporosis “prevention” she had begun suffering from stomach pains which was wearing down her energy and causing too many sick days.  She became worried about her job and her future security and that’s when she showed up in my office.  Maybe there was something she could do about her diet. It seemed like she was becoming intolerant to more and more foods and losing her appetite. 

Alice had a long history of indigestion, gas and reflux which she had handled over the years with antacids.  Taking antacids for many years for GERD or indigestion is a fast track to osteoporosis.  The reduced stomach acid will prevent your body from digesting and utilizing the very nutrition your skeleton needs to stay strong. 

Most people with GERD and heartburn are actually suffering from INsufficient stomach acid.  Instead of taking acid soppers and stoppers, they need supplemental digestive acid and enzymes. When treating the symptom and not the cause of the GERD, it’s a case of painting the ceiling to fix the leak.    

The real cause of the problem actually begins with eating inferior processed and artificial foods too quickly and in large quantities such that the digestive system is overwhelmed and cannot produce enough stomach acid and enzymes to handle the burden.  The undigested “food” begins to irritate the lining of the gastro intestinal tract.    So the body does not get the nutrients it needs to repair the damaged tissue as well as nourishing all the organs and joints of the body.  

 This person often develops arthritis and osteoporosis.  They then begin long term treatment with bisphosphonate drugs such as Fosomax, Boniva, and Actonel, which in turn  carry a litany of further side effects, including erosion of the esophagus, long term weakening of the skeleton and potential for spontaneous hip fractures.  Now it’s time for narcotics and pain killers and behold the depressing picture of invalidism, pain and decline as evidenced in our nursing homes of today.

Can we reverse this downward spiral of health?

  In Alice’s case we completely changed her diet to very simple, uncombined, high quality meals with gently steamed vegetables, fats, simple proteins, no breads or processed foods.  We used enzymes and healing supplements such as Okra Pepsin which coats the lining of the digestive tract while providing some enzyme support.  She needed a special source of minerals from bone marrow, a calcium supplement derived from vegetables, (not crushed rock) Vitamin C (not ascorbic acid) cod liver oil (super source of Vitamin D and other fat soluble vitamins).  And she began a very gentle exercise program (Bones for Life) designed to realign the posture and create the correct impact to stimulate bone building.  She gained 2 inches in height!
            _____________________________________

Submitted as a public service by Cathy Lidster, GCFP, ACNRT.  She teaches “Bones for Life” Movement classes and helps clients regain their health with diet and lifestyle changes.   For more information on Bones For Life®, Nutrition Response® Testing, or next free health seminar contact  cathylidster@gmail.com, visit www.cathylidster.com or call 250-819-9041.

Make No Bones About It - Part 2

 

Bone Health is a growing concern.  The statistics are staggering!  In the over 50 age group, one in every 2 women and every 8th man will experience a fracture due to weakened bones.  Why is this happening?  Bone tissue is meant to be strong, resilient and long-lasting.  Ask any archeologist.  Bones tell the story of how we have lived our lives long after we have left our bodies…  So why this rampant and prolific problem of poor bone health nowadays?

The most extreme example of osteoporosis I can think of is the historical story of scurvy.  In the days of the pirate ships, when men became severely ill due to malnourishment and dehydration, the captain would have their bodies shaken – If their bones rattled it meant they were riddled with fractures and beyond saving.  They were tossed overboard for fish bait.  The happy part of this story is that when given limes to eat (thus the term “limey” for the British seamen) this problem was prevented.  What can we learn from this story?

Bone health is a dynamic process just like all body processes.  As bone cells die, new ones are grown. Just how much growth is determined by the principle of supply and demand?  So generally, people who place more demand on their bones through regular activity will generate new bone production provided they have the raw materials to handle the construction chore. 

That’s where nutrition comes in.  Your body wants needs and thrives on “WHOLE FOODS”.  Anything else creates metabolic stress, imbalance and a tendency for the body to pull out stored minerals from the bones.  You’ll notice that the British used a whole food to solve their scurvy problem, not one single nutrient such as ascorbic acid, calcium or even true Vitamin C. 

Many people think that taking calcium supplements is the answer.  It is definitely not the whole answer and can even be harmful.  Your bones need a whole array of minerals and other nutrients to stay healthy.  To transport and utilize the calcium properly you need essential fatty acids, natural Vitamin D (from sunshine, eggs, fish and plants)  along with the synergistic minerals such as phosphorus (not phosphoric acid which is found in carbonated pop), magnesium and others. True Vitamin C (NOT ascorbic acid or calcium ascorbate), iron, zinc, copper, Vitamin K, boron, manganese, chromium, and the Vitamin B-Complex all play important roles in bone and collagen formation.  Fortunately all these ingredients can be found in whole foods provided especially for us by Nature. 

Unfortunately with commercial foods as our diet, we need balanced supplementation.  Click here for the best Bone Health support.

Calcium and other minerals need the body’s naturally occurring acid enzymes in order to be digested properly.  Since hydrochloric acid (HCL) production diminishes with aging, more elderly are prone to incomplete mineral digestion and therefore prone to osteoporosis.  Antacids rob your stomach of the very hydrochloric acid needed to break down calcium.  A misconception of HCL is that it causes heart burn.  In fact, your body’s own naturally occurring acid enzymes DO NOT damage stomach lining.  Rather, in the absence of HCL, undigested food sits and ferments (rots) which causes the release of acids that burn and cause gas.  Stomach medications such as Prilosec, Nexium, Zantac and similar meds contribute to osteoporosis by inhibiting proper digestion.  A simple solution is to take a supplement called Betaine Hydrochloride which is the plant derived natural enzyme needed to properly digest calcium.

The current medical approach to osteoporosis is to try to maintain a certain level of bone density.  And since it is difficult to improve bone growth without good nutrition, doctors turn to preventing bone loss.  Thus many of the common medications (Fosomax, Evista, Actonel, etc.) for someone diagnosed with osteopenia (low bone density) or osteoporosis are taken to halt the die off of old bone cells.  The danger of this is that it simply makes the bones brittle – like fossils, and without the die off there is no incentive for the body to grow new resilient and flexible bone.   And do these drugs prevent fractures?  Statistics say no. 

My favorite experience with improving bone density was a school teacher, age 50 who came in because she had been diagnosed pre-diabetic and had high cholesterol. She forgot to mention that she was also osteopenic (low bone density).  With testing we found wheat intolerance and that she needed a tiny amount of Betaine HCL(hydrochloric acid which helps digest minerals) and some whole food mineral supplements. Within weeks of dietary change (no sugar or wheat, and only whole foods) she went off her statin drugs, passed her blood sugar test and lost her excess fat.    But the biggest surprise to me came 9 months later when she came dancing in the door waving her improved bone density test results!  Not supposed to happen, but it did!

Make No Bones About It.  Osteoporosis has been made into a complicated and fast growing problem but what if there is another possibility?    

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Cathy Lidster, GCFP, NRC, has been a hands-on Health Practitioner since 1980 and now helps clients in both Canada and the U.S.  She teaches “Bones for Life” workshops as well as providing nutritional testing and support.  For more info visit:  www.cathylidster.com  email cathylidster@gmail.com, or call 250-819-9041