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July 23, 2004

Drug-free blood pressure solutions

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Many non-drug therapies, whether taken alone or in combination, work just as well or even better – without the troublesome side effects. Along with eating a low-fat, low-salt diet and taking moderate exercise, here’s a look at the best of what the alternative world has to offer. 1. Try a vessel-relaxing herb In a recent study published in Phytotherapy Research, people with mild high blood pressure took either 500mg of an extract of the herb hawthorn, 600mg of magnesium (a mineral that relaxes arteries), a combination of the two, or a dummy pill. The hawthorn group showed the biggest decrease in blood pressure. 2. Get friendly with garlic Garlic has a wide range of positive effects on circulation, thinning blood, and dissolving blood fats. Studies have shown that people who eat lots of garlic-rich meals have lower blood pressure than those who don’t. 3. Give needles a try Scientists at Harvard Medical School studied a group of 192 patients: one group received acupuncture according to the diagnostic criteria of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and one got ‘pretend’ acupuncture, where the needles were placed in areas not involved in high blood pressure treatment. Results were extremely positive, with people dropping between 20-40 systolic points, and some patients even being able to come off medications. 4. Take fatty acids Omega-3 fatty acids thin the blood, easing its passage through the arteries. In a study published in Thrombosis Research, people with mild high blood pressure were given either the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or a placebo. After four months, those on the omega-3 fatty acid regimen had an average decrease in systolic pressure six points below that of the placebo group. 5. Try antioxidants Researchers at St James University Hospital in Leeds, England gave volunteers with high blood pressure an antioxidant supplement containing vitamins A, C, E, and the mineral selenium for eight weeks, then a placebo for eight weeks. Their average blood pressure fell when they took the antioxidant, but not when they took the dummy pill.

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July 23, 2004

Fuel for endurance

If you participate in sport or physical activity that lasts for longer than 90 minutes, your body will be crying out for a refuel before the siren sounds or you reach the finish line.

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On the run – tips to fuel up during long distance or endurance activity

If you participate in sport or physical activity that lasts for longer than 90 minutes, your body will be crying out for a refuel before the siren sounds or you reach the finish line. And that’s assuming that you had a full fuel tank to start with. You probably wouldn’t dream of getting going without a fluid plan, but what about the idea of some solid carbohydrate food as you go? During most endurance activity your body will steadily burn carbohydrate from its stores of muscle glycogen. And unlike your car that runs smoothly until the tanks suddenly empty, your body will start to feel the effects of fatigue as the minutes tick on. Sports dietitians generally recommend that you consider some solid fuel as well as fluids for events over 90 minutes, however this decision is incredibly important and depends on factors like the intensity of exercise and your training level. How much carbs? Studies of athletes show that around 30-60g of carbs per hour should be consumed in an endurance event to delay fatigue. This is equivalent to 500-1000mL of sports drink or 10-20 jellybeans. What to choose Along with a sports drink, popular solid foods for long duration events like road cycling include jelly beans and snakes, commercial sports bars and gels, jam sandwiches and bananas. How to pack The answer seems relatively easy for cyclists as they can carry food on board their bike. However, there are a huge range of issues to consider like the burden of additional weight and ease of access to the food. It’s important to fully work out and trial your refueling plan before the big race day, so that the only surprises are coming from the wildcard entries. If your event allows, it’s a great idea to utilise support people along the course or find out about the position of fuelling stations throughout the race, so you don’t feel like a pack horse as you set off. For further information see www.sportsdietitians.com

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July 23, 2004

Fit – not thin

How you can reap health benefits from being fit, even if a little fat.

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How you can reap health benefits from being fit, even if a little fat. If you think you can tell how fit someone is, simply by looking them up and down, think again. Interesting research is being conducted into measurements of fitness at different levels of body weight and what impact this has on overall health and well-being. And the results are startling. Does exercise make a difference to health if you’re overweight? The research, lead by Dr Steven Blair from The Cooper Institute in the US, is revealing the benefits of regular physical activity regardless of body weight. The research team found that lean men who did not exercise regularly and were assessed as being “unfit” had double the death rate as obese men who exercised regularly and scored well on the fitness test. Should we forget about the healthy weight range? Dr Blair advocates that focusing on fitness is far more important than fatness. While falling within the healthy weight range or a body mass index (BMI) of 20-25 is generally associated with the best health, you can still prolong good health via regular exercise if you’re overweight. Dr Blair has evidence that men, who were overweight but fit, did not have an increased death rate even if they had signs of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is the term given to describe a cluster of conditions including insulin resistance and raised blood cholesterol, which increases your risk of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. So how does this work in practical terms? It’s important to remember that losing weight is all about energy balance, or kilojoules in vs. kilojoules out. If you are overweight, a combination of reducing kilojoules from the food you eat plus burning more kilojoules through activity is the best approach to long-term success. The good news from this research is that while you’re working to achieve your weight loss goals, you can still make a major difference to your fitness and reduce your lifestyle disease risk via daily physical activity. So, if you’ve been constantly dieting and struggling to get off those last few kilos in order to reach the healthy weight range, a better approach may be to shift focus for a while. Concentrate on daily physical activity and maximising your fitness and forget about the scales. This way, you could be improving things internally, like lowering blood pressure, increasing the good cholesterol, controlling blood sugar levels better, which will all have a far greater impact on your health outcomes, regardless of whether or not you finally reach your goal weight.

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July 22, 2004

Psoriasis

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By Annette Campbell

Geoff Graham was thrilled when the natural cream he developed eased the pain of his baby son’s eczema. He was delighted when it also helped his own battle with the frustrating skin condition. And now, he is over the moon that it’s helping hundreds of thousands of others.

On May 17, 2004, Woman’s Day magazine ran a story about Geoff and his creation. The phones have hardly stopped ringing since.

“The feedback has been phenomenal,” he says. “It’s obviously something people need and if I can help, then that’s brilliant. Especially because I know exactly the kind of discomfort people are living with.”

Geoff, now 35, was born with eczema and at only three-months old had one of the worst cases of the condition reported at the time. Over the years he tried all sorts of lotions and potions, but nothing gave him long-term relief.

When his son Ryan was born, it broke Geoff’s heart to see that he had it too.

“I said to my wife, Shannon, ‘I’ve got to do something about this, for Ryan’,” he recalls.

This determined duo read all they could about skin and skin problems, especially psoriasis and eczema. They spoke with doctors and dermatologists and came up with their own “recipe” for a soothing cream.

Geoff put aside his plans to become a commercial pilot and they ploughed their cash savings — about $14,000 — into starting their business.

“The essential ingredients we decided on were Manuka honey, as it kills bacteria on skin; emu oil because it’s full of vitamins E and A; and the herbal extracts calendula, gotu kola and propolis because of their anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties,” Geoff explains.

Friends and relatives tried it first and the feedback was so positive that they went ahead with plans for mass-production. Now Graham’s Natural Alternatives boasts a range of 10 products for sensitive skin including bath oil, soap, shampoo, conditioner and a liquid called Mega Oil. They are also in the process of launching a natural treatment for head lice for people with sensitive skin.

Geoff and Ryan, who is now seven, both continue to take the Mega Oil complex every day to maintain their healthy skin. And apart from his own physical relief, Geoff is thrilled that he is now providing a solution for so many others.

“It’s an absolutely amazing feeling,” he says.

Graham’s Natural Alternatives are available in all health food shops and some pharmacies nationally. For more information phone (07) 5596 1708 or visit their website:

www.eczema-psoriasis.com

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July 22, 2004

I met my partner through a sexy magazine

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Eight years ago my long-term boyfriend and I broke up under amicable circumstances. He seemed to move right on to a new relationship but I sat around the house wondering how I was ever going to meet anyone new.

At the age of 40 I felt I was past my prime and I didn’t have any clues about where I could go to meet eligible, single men. I wasn’t interested in going to nightclubs or wine bars. All my friends were married so I had no-one to go out with, even if I had somewhere to go.

Saturday nights passed uneventfully while I watched television at home. I started to fear that I was going to be companionless for the rest of my life. It hadn’t occurred to me that a great number of single people are quite happy living by themselves, leaving it to fate to meet the right person one day. I wasn’t used to being by myself and I decided to do something about it.

It started with a fairly innocent advertisement in the local newspaper. I did get some replies but I didn’t seem to click with anybody. I was also quite surprised that a large number of the respondents admitted they were married and that they were looking for a diversion. I was rather downhearted by this turn of events and decided that the competition in lonely hearts columns was too great.

I mentioned my dilemma to a male friend who showed me a sex magazine that he purchased regularly. He suggested that I answer one of the personal advertisements in that. I was quite shocked by his suggestion and also by the type of personal ads featured in the magazine. It certainly seemed to cater to every sort of weird taste.

I was too scared to answer any of the ads that I saw so I decided to bite the bullet and put in my own. I was curious to see what would happen. If I didn’t like a reply, I didn’t have to answer.

My ad said I was “a 35-year-old, ready for anything”. I certainly received a lot of replies — about 30. I was surprised by the very polite and respectful letters. Some of the photos also looked quite interesting. Suddenly I felt the thrill of adventure!

I excluded all the replies that obviously came from married men and then I replied to the most appealing letters from the rest. I never once felt that I was doing anything dangerous. When I met the respondents they always acted absolutely normal in every way.

I met five men in total. After first meeting in a coffee shop we would decide if we wanted to meet again. All of them were very sexy company but I was back to square one — without a partner. Then the final letter arrived.

It was quite a funny letter and I liked the look of the man in the photo. He said that he was separated from his wife and was looking for company as he never went out. I replied and he invited me to dinner in a restaurant.

From the first moment I met him I felt comfortable with him. He was the same age as me (40, not 35!) and we had the same interests and outlook on life. In fact we were perfect for each other! Within a month we had moved in together and we have lived together ever since.

Although some would feel that our meeting was not auspicious, I would have to say that I couldn’t hope to meet a more faithful partner. He is the most attentive man I have ever met. The only problem is that I tend to flinch when anyone asks me how we met. I usually mumble something about meeting him at a party and then change the subject!

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July 16, 2004

I stripped my way through uni

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My main ambition in life is to become a TV newsreader or presenter — maybe the next Sandra Sully or Catriona Rowntree. I’m dedicated to achieving my goals.

I recently graduated from Griffith University in Brisbane after completing an art and communications course. And what an eventful four years I had! I was forced to lead a double life, my day-to-day activities clouded in secrecy.

As a single, cash-strapped student I had to earn several hundred dollars a week to pay for my tuition, rent, food, transport and clothes. I’d left home at 16 and from that day had been proudly independent.

There wasn’t enough money in stacking grocery shelves or washing dishes to support me, so I made the decision to put my best assets to use. I’m quite attractive and have a good sense of fun, and I’m not afraid to try something new … so I decided to take up stripping.

I was 19 and in my first year of study when I began. Having worked on the door of a nightclub that held weekly amateur strip nights, I already had an insight into the industry. I registered as a freelance stripper with an agency and got myself an ABN number to make sure it was all professional.

I’ll never forget my first night. I had to strip at a private party and had major butterflies in my stomach, but when my chosen AC/DC song came on, I soon got into the swing of things. The cheers of the crowd made me even more relaxed and confident. It was a hugely exhilarating experience and the money was great.

On a good week I’d make up to $1500, which meant I could afford a one-bedroom apartment and a car. It was more money than I could have hoped for, and it paid the bills while I studied hard.

By day I was the quiet, learned scholar, and by night I was shedding my clothes at corporate functions, bucks’ nights and birthday bashes while most of my fellow students were tucked into bed.

I wasn’t at all ashamed of showing off my body, but I was terrified someone would recognise me and spread the word at uni. I still find it amazing that in my four years of study I stripped hundreds of times, yet no-one recognised me. Or perhaps they didn’t mention it.

My family knew of my after-hours job and were fine about it, but I told only one friend. I was worried about being put down. However, I think it’s honourable to work for money rather than live on welfare.

I graduated two months ago and I’m busy looking for my break into TV or print media. Maybe my story might inspire someone to give me a chance!

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July 16, 2004

Noisy cat

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Question:

After neighbours complained, we have been trying to keep our 14-year-old Burmese cat inside at night. He has everything he needs but he still miaows all night until we let him out at 5am. Is he too old to change his ways? Julie, Pelican Waters, Qld

Answer:

Cats are by nature more active at night, and a 14-year-old cat that has previously been able to roam all night long is not going to take too kindly to being locked up. But he’ll have to get used to it! It will just take some time and patience.

What you can’t do is go to him or let him out while he’s miaowing. This tells him that if he miaows, he gets what he wants. Kick him out during the day so he tires himself out a bit and don’t feed him until you call him in at night. He should come because he’ll be hungry and after dinner he should relax a bit.

If he has everything he needs (litter tray, food, water and a warm bed), you don’t need to worry — it’s now just a battle of wills. Let him out in the morning but only when he is quiet. A few nights of not getting up to go to him at all should cure him of his early morning miaowing for good.

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July 16, 2004

Socialise your dog

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Question:

Socialise your dog off the lead as much as possible. This is getting easier and easier, with more safe, off-lead parks being made available.

Answer:

Dogs can’t interact with each other the way they like to when they’re on a lead and even really placid dogs can get over-excited if they can’t engage with a new friend the way they like to.

If dogs are allowed to do their thing in a safe, controlled environment as often as possible, then they’ll generally be much more responsive when you need them to be. Melanie, Armidale.

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July 16, 2004

Bad perm

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Question:

I had a disastrous perm and it’s left my hair incredibly dry and frizzy. What can I do?

Anon, via e-mail.

Answer:

Next time you decide to have a perm, ensure your hair is in top condition, as dry, porous hair can become coarse and brittle.

However, to rescue a bad perm I suggest you have two centimetres cut off each layer, followed by an intensive salon treatment that uses a steamer to allow penetration of the cuticle layer. Then buy a shampoo and conditioner for dry and damaged hair. Pantene have a range for dry, damaged hair.

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July 7, 2004

Eating disorders

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By Annette Campbell

Tracie Fielding never used to like what she saw in the mirror.

The now 17-year-old from the western suburbs of Brisbane, QLD, remembers running to her room and crying after being called “hippo” by her brother, when she weighed 57kg at the age of 10.

As a young teen she was painfully aware that the boys preferred to stare at her “gorgeous” friends. So, at the ripe-old age of 14, she decided that she had to do something about her weight.

She tried a few diets that didn’t work, and then started jogging on a treadmill for 30 minutes a day. This soon became 30 minutes twice a day and then Tracie was jogging for up to 60 minutes, twice a day. At the same time, she was eating less and less.

Within only a few months Tracie had lost loads of weight – and was firmly in the grip of an eating disorder.

“I was so ecstatic with the results that I thought if I ate anything and then didn’t workout afterwards, the weight would simply pile back on,” she says.

During a routine appointment, the local G.P. noticed straight away how skinny Tracie had become.

“I was 169cm tall and weighed 55kg,” Tracie recalls. “The doctor explained I should be at least 60kg, and warned me that unless I put on weight, I would end up being sick. But of course I didn’t listen. I still thought I was too fat.”

So Tracie continued eating only an apple and yoghurt for breakfast, an apple for lunch and nothing for dinner. And she was still exercising for two hours every day.

It was only when she saw herself in some family photos, that Tracie suddenly, truly understood how sick she was.

“I was at my lowest weight of 49kg and I knew that I had to do something,” she says. “So I went to see the guidance counsellor at school, broke down crying and told her everything. That afternoon mum and I talked and cried and I made her a promise that I was going to get better.”

From that day, Tracie cut-down the amount of exercise she was doing and made a determined effort to eat more and more each day.

Now she weighs a much healthier 60kg, is happier than ever and is keen to help others battling with eating disorders.

“I used to think that to be skinny was to be beautiful and that everyone will notice you…I was wrong,” she says. “And for others going through what I went through – don’t judge yourself from the outside but look at yourself from the inside because that’s where the true beauty is.”

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