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If you want to loose weight, balance your mood, energy and hormones or treat your Diabetes naturally, you need to balance your blood sugar by watching what foods you eat and when.

Knowing the Glycaemic Index “GI” and Glycaemic Load “GL” of foods can help you achieve this.  But what are they, and what is the difference between them?

The GI of a food measures how quickly the sugars are broken down and released from a carbohydrate once you have eaten it, in order to have an effect on your blood sugar levels.  Rapid breakdown and release of sugars causes a huge surge of sugar into the blood stream, causing your body to respond by releasing lots of insulin from the pancreas, to pack it all away into your cells (excess sugar is stored as fat).  This then causes a ’sugar crash’, and a cycle of peaks and crashes begins, which is very hard to break.

Sugars which break down quickly (such a white bread, pasta and rice, chocolate, cakes, fizzy drinks) have a high GI and foods which break down slowly (such as wholemeal bread, pasta and rice, some fruits such as berries, plain yoghurt)  have a low GI.

Glycaemic Load expands on the above, and takes into account the amount of carbohydrate in a serving size, as well as how quickly it’s sugars break down.  The formula is: GL = (GI x the amount of carbohydrate) divided by 100.

For example, If you cut yourself a slice of watermelon weighing 100g, with a relatively high GI score of 72 and a carbohydrate content of 5g (it contains a lot of water),  you would calculate:  5 x 72 / 100 =3.6, so the GL is 3.6. A score of 3.6 is a low GL score.

Low is 10 or less, medium is 11-19 and 20 or greater is considered high.

This shows how GL is more accurate than GI, as if you just knew the GI of watermelon, you might avoid it as a food choice.  However, because it is low in carbohydrate, it will not have a great effect on blood sugar and is therefore still a sensible choice.

If you search, you can find GI lists online.  For more information, I would recommend the Collins Gem book “GL: Glycaemic Load Explained”.

Gl is a useful tool, but not the be-all-and-end-all of healthy eating.  Remember to get enough good quality protein, and eat healthy non-saturated fats as well.

July 27th, 2010 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Now that the sun pokes his head around the clouds every now and again, it may be tempting to put on the sunscreen to avoid premature ageing and sun damage to your skin.

But, I appeal to you to go out in the sun and expose your arms, legs and face for fifteen minutes per day before covering up.  This is how long it takes to get your daily dose of vitamin D.  Vitamin D isn’t technically a vitamin, as it can be produced in the body through exposure to sunlight.  Most of us in the UK are deficient in vitamin D, as production in the body needs a fairly strong sun (winter sun won’t do it).

Vitamin D can be stored in the body, but stores run low during the winter, and vitamin D has been linked to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and depression that occur during the winter.

Vitamin D is a bit of a wonder vitamin.  As well as roles in mood, vitamin D is very important for the immune system.  It helps to regulate the immune system, and is hugely implicated in treating autoimmune diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis and Crohn’s disease.  In autoimmune disease, the immune system has got out of balance and is ‘over-stimulated’, causing the immune cells to attack the body’s own tissues and cause huge damage.  In fact, presence of an autoimmune disease suggests vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D’s affinity with the immune system continues with one metastudy (review of lots of individual scientific research studies) in 2006, concluding that vitamin D reduced the risk of developing colon cancer in half, and reduced the risk of developing others cancers such as breast and ovarian cancers by a third.  (Based on supplementation of 1000iu per day).

Vitamin D is also necessary for absorption of Calcium, making is essential for done density and health.

You can have your vitamin D levels checked for free by your GP.  A recommended daily maintenance dose for all UK adults is 1000iu.  Nutri (a supplement company), produce a new multivitamin and mineral that includes 1000iu of vitamin D, they also sell a liquid vitamin D supplement, which provides 1000iu per drop.  Liquid supplements are an excellent choice, as they guarantee excellent absorbability.  Vitamin D3 is the best kind to supplement, as it is also the most absorbable.

Most people will not get enough vitamin D through food, although oily fish are the best source; salmon, mackerel, fresh tuna,  and sardines.

Perhaps knowing a bit more about this wonderful nutrient will encourage you to get a bit of UV exposure this summer – it’s not all bad!

June 15th, 2010 | Tags: autoimmune disease, vitamin D | Category: Nutrition | Leave a comment

Inflammation  can be classified as acute or chronic.  Acute inflammation is short term and is an immune reaction to an injury or a pathogen (bacteria or viruses for example).  Chronic inflammation may last for months or even years and can be caused by autoimmune reactions (where the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis) or persistent pathogens such as the Epstein Barr virus which causes Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Food intolerances to foods such as wheat or dairy (the main cause of IBS) cause a huge amount of sytemic, chronic inflammation.

If allowed to continue, chronic inflammation can cause systemic tissue damage and can itself cause many different diseases and disorders of the body.  Pain is one of the mechanisms used in inflammation to protect the part or parts of the body affected, by telling us not to use that part.

Inflammation is mediated by chemical messengers called Prostaglandins.  These messengers are made from fats, and can be either pro inflammatory or anti inflammatory depending upon their type or series.  The prevalence of inflammatory or anti inflammatory prostaglandins (and therefore the amount of pain and inflammation in your body) is largely dependent on the types of fats you eat, and the quality of your diet generally (the amount of vitamins and minerals and sugar eaten).

Essential fatty acids are unsaturated fats that have a variety of incredibly important roles for us, just some of them are:  Structure and function of the brain and nerve cells (affecting mood, stress levels, concentration, intelligence, behaviour, memory and recall, etc), health of the skin and mucous membranes, joint health, energy production and heart health.

The types of Essential fatty acids that most people have heard about are omega 3 and omega 6.  Omega 3 fats make prostaglandin series 3, an antiinflammatory prostaglandin which decreases pain and inflammation and increases endurance, immune function and oxygen flow.  Within the term ‘omega 3 fats’, a number of different fats are incorporated.  When we eat a walnut, for example, which contains Linolenic acid, our body will employ various enzymes, vitamins and minerals  to convert that Linolenic acid into EPA, and finally DHA, before it arrives at prostaglandin series 3.

Omega 6 fats can split off into two paths, and either make series 1 prostaglandins, which are antiinflammatory, or series 2 prostaglandins, which are inflammatory.  We are unfortunately more likely to make the inflammatory kind – prostaglandin series 2, which is made from a fat called Arachidonic acid.  Arachidonic acid can either be made in the body from omega 6 fats, or eaten in food.  It’s main food source is fat from animal products.  Production of more prostaglandin series 2 (the inflammatory kind), is more likely as it is more easily released from storage than EPA, which makes antiinflammatory prostaglandins.  If you eat lots of animal products, you will have more arachidonic acid to convert to inflammatory prostaglandins.  Finally, if you have a lot of insulin in your blood stream, caused by having eaten a lot of simple sugars, you are more likely to make inflammatory prostaglandins.

Therefore it is a better bet, if you are suffering from inflammation, to eat more omega 3 than omega 6 fats, as omega 6 fats are quite likely to convert to inflammatory prostaglandins and omega 3 fats produce antiinflammatory prostaglandins.  Most people in the UK consume very little omega 3, and far too much omega 6, as it is found in sunflower and corn oil, used in many processed foods.  Therefore it is very important to increase your consumption of omega 3 fats.  The best sources are oily fish such as salmon, halibut, sardines, mackerel, herring and fresh tuna.  It may also be found in enriched eggs.  Vegetarian sources are flaxseeds, walnuts, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds and soy beans.

Omega 3 fats have been shown in studies to help:

• Depression
• Alzheimers disease
• ADHD
• Arthritis
• High cholesterol
• Eczema
• Allergies
• Asthma

People who eat oily fish once per week have been shown to have a 60% lower chance of developing Alzheimers disease than those who do not.  However, I would recommend eating oily fish 3 times per week (sardines on toast, a salmon fillet and a mackerel salad perhaps), for protection against and management of diseases with chronic inflammation at their core (many mentioned above).

June 2nd, 2010 | Category: Nutrition | Leave a comment

I have just spotted an article on BBC news detailing the findings of a new study published in ‘The Lancet Neurology’ which shows that deep brain stimulation is an effective treatment to help control the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, alongside medication.  The surgery involves inserting electrodes into three areas of the brain, which control movement, the electrodes are attached to a small ‘neurostimulator’ unit.

There is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, which is characterised by tremor, rigidity and bradykinesia (slowness of movement).  Although the average age of onset is 50+, it can occur much earlier in life.  Famous sufferer Michael J. Fox was just 30 when he was diagnosed.  It is caused by a lack of dopamine in the brain.  Dopamine is a neurotransmitter with many functions in the body and brain.  it is involved in reward, learning, movement, attention, mood, memory and motivation.  It’s cause is unknown for sure, but it is thought that exposure to toxins over time is a probable cause (these could be from the environment, diet or drugs).

As the cause is unknown, current drug therapies only focus on palliating the symptoms.  L-Dopa is the most commonly used drug.  L-Dopa is a precursor to dopamine, used to replace dopamine in the brain.  It is given with a cocktail of other drugs which are necessary to ensure correct metabolism of the drug and uptake by the receptors in the brain.  Giving L-dopa unfortunately stops the body from producing it’s own dopamine, so becomes counterproductive.  It and the other drugs given produce other unpleasant side effects including; obsessive compulsive and abnormal sexual behaviour, hallucinations, insomnia, nausea and vomiting, memory loss, muscle stiffness and dyskensia (constant movement).  Not very pleasant i’m sure you’ll agree.

Therefore, it’s worth knowing that there is a lot nutrition can do to address the probable causes and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease:

• Get the body’s elimination pathways working efficiently.  As Parkinson’s is partly thought to be due to a build up of toxins in the body, it is important to make sure the patient is able to excrete them.  This means working on the liver and the bowels.The liver requires adequate levels of many nutrients in order to detoxify drugs, used up hormones, old blood cells, environmental toxins, etc.  In order to ensure good bowel function we need to check for any food intolerances which may cause digestive distress, enough fibre in the diet, enough nutrients such as magnesium to aid bowel contraction and relaxation, etc.
• Ensure that the body is able to produce enough energy from food.  Another possible cause of Parkinson’s disease is insufficient activity of the mitochondria in the cells of the body.  Mitochondria are like the power stations in your body, they produce the energy currency that your body works on, called ATP.  The body performs incredibly complex chemical reactions in order to convert food to ATP, and many different nutrients are needed for this.  An antioxidant called CoQ10 has been shown to improve motor and mood symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.  CoQ10 improves mitochondrial function and is an antioxidant, and therefore helps the body to deal with exposure to toxins.
• Aid dopamine metabolism.  Dopamine is made from phenylalanine, an essential amino acid (a building block of protein).  An essential amino acid is one that cannot be made by the body, therefore it must be eaten in the diet.  In order for the body to convert phenylalanine to tyrosine (a non essential amino acid), then to L-Dopa (the precursor to dopamine), and eventually to dopamine, it requires a lot of nutrients along the way.
• Avoid consumption of protein within 2 hours and carbohydrates within 1 hour of taking L-Dopa medication as they compete for absorption in the body.
• Supplementation of antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E for the reasons mentioned above.
• Testing for exposure to toxins.  A hair mineral analysis test can show up excessive levels of heavy metals.  Various supplements can then be given in order to reduce these contaminants.
• Poor gut motility and malabsorption are common, therefore specialised supplements or predigested foods may be necessary to protect against deficiencies.  Otherwise swedish bitter herbs or digestive enzymes may be given to enhance digestion.

April 29th, 2010 | Category: Nutrition | Leave a comment

A new study on whether an increased intake on fruit and vegetables can help prevent cancer was published this week in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.  The results were disappointing for nutritional therapists, as the study showed no significant link between and increase in fruit and vegetables in the diet and a decreased risk of cancer.

As with all studies that seem to disprove links between various health modalities such as nutrition and homeopathy, this study has attracted a lot of media attention.  Usually this has most therapists rallying around to protect ourselves.  Therefore, allow me to offer some ‘redirect’.

One thing I came to realise through my studies, is that not all research papers can be entirely trusted.  I used to think that medical professionals and scientists were above contempt, but I have since realised that some have their own agendas and bias. When evaluating a study, it is important to keep in mind who wrote the study, how was it funded, how many people were surveyed and how were they picked, is the study original or is it a meta-analysis (a round-up of previous studies), how long was the study period, and how were the results analysed.

A classic example of a flawed study was a meta analysis conducted a few years ago, that attracted huge media attention.  It apparently showed that taking antioxodants would kill you.  Patrick Holford was called onto the Channel Four news to defend nutritionists everywhere. Upon examining the study it’s easy to see that it was deeply biased. The meta analysis took results from 10’s of thousands of studies, but discarded half of the available studies as there were no deaths shown in their results. Therefore the studies chosen were designed to produce a biased result from the meta analysis.

I must just say, that I am not suggesting that this new study is biased or corrupt, I merely ask you to to take a more critical glance at these studies as they make waves in the media. This study arouses my suspicions slightly, as it proves a different result than the one i’d expect.  Obviously I believe in good nutrition to prevent disease and prolong a healthy life, otherwise I wouldn’t do the job that I do. I have studied the many micro nutrients contained in fruit and vegetables, and I know how they are used directly by the body to maintain function and basically- life. Many nutrients are essential, which means that they cannot be made by the body, and must be eaten.  It is common sense that a more natural diet will be higher in the vitamins and minerals essential to life than processed, stodgy foods which are the alternative.

The following are a few ways in which i feel the study could have been improved:

1. This study may have been too general in looking at all types of cancer.  Many specific nutrients have been identified in fruits and vegetables that have specific roles in health and disease prevention.  For example; A phytonutrient called Indole-3 Carbinole in the brassica family of vegetables lowers the type of oestrogen most associated with  hormonal disorders and cancers, and can therefore help prevent hormone related cancers such as breast cancer.
2. The period covered by this study was nine years, which depending on the life stage of the subjects involved, may not have been enough time.
3. There are so many other contributing factors to the development of cancer which may not have been taken into account with the participants of the study.  For example; whether they smoked, stress, happiness, exposure to environmental pollutants and toxins and age.  Walter J Willett, a professor from the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, wrote an editorial in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, where the study was published.  In it, he tells how most potential carcinogenic exposure occurs in childhood and early life and concludes:  “Research should focus more sharply on specific fruits and vegetables and their constituents and on earlier periods of life”.

To end on a more positive note, this study did show positive results in prevention of heart disease through a higher fruit and vegetable diet.  In fact, the study showed that those eating five or more portions a day had a 30% lower incidence of stroke than people eating less than 1.5.  This is a very significant decrease in stroke risk, and a reason enough to keep munching on those greens!

April 13th, 2010 | Tags: cancer study, fruit and vegetables for cancer | Category: Nutrition | Comments (1)

An estimated 15% of British people suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).  IBS is characterised by a collection of symptoms such as bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, indigestion, wind and abdominal cramping and spasms.  Sufferers may experience all or just a couple of these.  In fact IBS is not a disease, a syndrome is the name used to describe a collection of symptoms.  There is no pathology involved in IBS, meaning that there are no signs of more serious bowel disease such as Colitis, Crohn’s or cancer.

Treatment of IBS via a GP is very limited, as there can be so many causes for it, and they do not often have the time to delve into the causes and triggers of the onset of the your symptoms.  Doctors normally focus on management of the symptoms; prescribing antacids or anti-diarrhoea medication.

The only way to effectively treat IBS is to remove the cause.  Some common causes are listed below:

1. Food sensitivites or intolerances.  The cause of 60-70% of IBS cases.  The common food culprits are coffee, wheat, dairy, corn (especially in the USA where it is their equivalent of wheat in the UK), tea, citrus, chocolate.  Other common allergens are soya, eggs, yeast and gluten.
2. Dysbiosis.  This means an imbalance of good and bad bacteria in the gut.  We all have good and ‘bad’ bacteria in our gut.  The ‘bad’ bacteria isn’t really ‘bad’, unless it is allowed to overgrow.  This usually happens when we have low good bacteria, which naturally keeps it in check.  Good bacteria is important for digestion and the immune system, amongst many other important roles in our body.
3. Parasite infection.  When most people think of parasites, they picture huge worms!  Parasites can be worms, but they can also be tiny protozoa, single celled organisms which are capable of causing a lot of trouble considering their tiny size.  Blastocystis Hominis is one of the most common in IBS.  Giardia is a common parasite picked up in India. Parasites can be picked up unknowingly from foreign travel (usually via the water), so if you’ve had IBS since returning from an exotic holiday, consider a test for parasitic infection.

IBS quite often seems to happen ‘out of the blue’.  It may be that your body has been coping with poor diet, lack of nutrients or lack of fibre for years, but when another stress is added to the load; the body is unable to cope any longer and IBS occurs. Triggers may include;

1. Stress.  Stress affects every system of the body, but particularly digestion.  It shuts down production of hydrochloric acid, which is produced in the stomach to digest protein.  Lack of hydrochloric acid can produce indigestion (so those taking antacids beware, you may be exacerbating the problem), bloating, pain, wind and constipation.
2. Surgery or trauma.
3. Drug usage.  legal and illegal drugs included!
4. chronic infection.
5. Sudden change in diet.

Treatment options depend upon the cause, but here are some general guidelines to get you started.

1. Increase water intake.  You should be drinking about 2 litres per day.  Fill up a 2 litre bottle at the start of the day and carry it around with you, aim to drink it all over the course of the day.  Water is necessary for a a hydrated stool.  Dehydrated stools are often like rabbit pellets and very hard to pass, contributing to constipation.
2. Exercise to tone the muscles, especially the abdominal muscles.  The walls of the stomach and intestines are very muscular, they use waves of muscular contraction called peristalsis to move food and stool along their length.  Like any muscle, they perfom better when they are well toned.  This can be achieved through general fitness and exercise.
3. Lack of fibre.  Fibre adds weight and bulk to the stool and makes it easier to pass.  Add extra wholegrains and fruit and vegetables (with skins on) to your diet.
4. Have smaller, regular meals and avoid high fat foods.
5. Eat slowly, and chew food thoroughly.  Aim to be the last person at your table to finish their meal.  Chewing triggers the beginning of the digestive process, which works like a cascade down the gastrointestinal tract.  When we chew, salivary amylase is released which starts to digest the carbohydrates in the food.  It also sends a message to the stomach to start producing hydrochloric acid to digest the food that’s coming. Hydrochloric acid is not produced in the stomach all the time, otherwise we’d digest ourselves!
6. Cut back on gut irritants such as caffeine, alcohol and cigarettes.  These substances also put extra strain on the liver, which is important for digestion, as it produces bile, which helps to digest fats in the food we eat.
7. Keep a food diary, recording everything you eat and drink and what time.  This can help you to realise what you have eaten over the course of a week, as we are all very good at lying to ourselves!  It can also help you correlate symptoms with foods eaten.  Bear in mind though that food intolerance reactions can occur up to 72 after eating the food.
8. Address the triggers, and seek help from a professional to find the cause.

As you can see there is a lot to consider. Treatment of IBS may require some big changes, so guidance from a nutritional therapist is recommended in order to stay healthy and focused. At  Pure Nutrition, we offer one to one consultations which focus on guiding you back to optimum health.

Good luck!

April 1st, 2010 | Category: Nutrition | Comments (6)

I remember the first time  I heard a nutritional therapist describe most breakfast cereals as ‘junk food’ – I thought “come on, aren’t you being just a little over-the-top?” I’m afraid that these days i’m inclined to agree.  That’s why I thought kellogg’s new ad campaign which is plastered all over the most of the bus stops in Brighton was shameful.  Kellogg’s, (who part sponsor the government’s change 4 life health campaign), are promoting Coco Pops as a healthy after school snack for children.

Kellogg’s claim on their website that Coco Pops are a healthy food because they have added B vitamins, iron and calcium.  Note the word ‘added’.  Most breakfast cereals are composed of highly refined grains, sugar, salt and flavouring.  Which is exactly what Coco Pops is made of.   Grains such as corn, rice and wheat in their wholegrain form contain nutrients which are beneficial for our bodies and also help to slow the release of the sugars contained in them.  When grains are refined, any natural nutrients are stripped out, meaning that they are basically just simple sugars able to have a detrimental effect on our blood sugar, energy levels and, eventually, our weight.

Add to this the fact that sugar is then added in, (in Coco Pops, sugar is the second highest ingredient after rice, and just before chocolate), and you have a very poor food which will peak your blood sugar very rapidly, and give you a dip, leaving you feeling tired and craving more sugar for a quick fix.  Not really the way you may want your children to start the day or end their school day.

Now lets get on to the subject of the added vitamins and minerals. Apart from cases of deficiency causing acute disease or dysfunction, I believe that the best way to get nutrients into the body is in their natural form in foods.  Vitamins and minerals work synergistically with each other, and should not be taken individually as a rule.  There is also the belief that the body better knows ‘what to do’ with nutrients in a food state form.  Vitamins and minerals can come in many different forms, depending upon the molecule that they are bound to.  There are organic (natural) and non-organic (non-natural) forms.  Organic forms are better absorbed and utilised by our bodies, but are more expensive.  Non-organic forms are cheaper and poorly absorbed.  Take for example; the Ferrous sulphate (iron) prescribed by your doctor for anaemia.  It usually gives people black stools and often an upset stomach.  This is because it is poorly absorbed and can cause gut irritation.  If one takes iron citrate instead, one has no black stools and no gut irritation.  So why use ferrous sulphate?  Because it’s cheap.

I have no evidence to prove this at all, but i’m guessing that Kellogg’s don’t go the extra mile and make sure that their added vitamins are highly bio-available but more expensive organic forms.  Therefore, our bodies may not be able to utilise the calcium, iron and B vitamins very well.  So what you are left with is a bowel of refined rice, sugar and flavourings.

Bowl of Coco Pops anyone?

March 31st, 2010 | Tags: kellogg's coco pops ad campaign, nutrition for kids, sugary cereals for kids | Category: Nutrition | Leave a comment

Hi,

This is a quick post to let you know that I will be running half marathon in Brighton on 21st February 2010 in aid of Sussex Beacon, an HIV/AIDS charity in based in Brighton.  I would appreciate it so much if you could afford to sponsor me for any amount to help out this incredibly worthy cause.  You can visit my fundraising site at http://www.justgiving.com/Sarah-Cheeseman to donate.

Thank you very much.

November 15th, 2009 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

You don’t have to be old or an athlete to suffer from muscle pain.  Most painful muscle conditions are caused by simple ‘overuse injury’.  Over use can be caused by running 15 miles and pulling your hamstring, or by sitting at a desk all day with your shoulders hunched.

Muscles work on an ‘agonist and antagonist’ basis – the simplest example is the biceps and triceps.  For the biceps to contract, the triceps have to relax.  Another example would be the quadriceps and hamstrings in the thighs, or the pectoralis in the chest and trapezius in the upper back.  When there is an imbalance or over use issue, a part of the muscle will be shortened (or contracted) and it’s antagonist will be weak and lengthened, for example, usually when someone has rounded shoulders, the pectoralis is shortened and the trapezius is lengthened.  The problem with muscles is that they only do exactly what is asked of them.  If you sit hunched at a desk all day, your shoulder muscles will retain a memory of that, and just keep their hunched position, even when you go home.  Similarly, sat at a desk, one’s leg are bent all day and therefore the hamstrings tend to shorten, which can refer pain to the lower back.

Massage and stretching can help as they stretch out and relax  shortened muscle fibres.  Exercise is also helpful, in order to strengthen weak, lengthened muscles and therefore balance muscle tonicity.

Muscle contraction is dependant upon calcium, sodium and potassium.  Calcium allows a process to start in which sodium rushes into the muscle cell, and potassium trickles out.  This causes the muscle fibre to become positively charged, and create and action potential.  Magnesium is needed to close the calcium channels, and therefore stop this process, so that the muscle can relax.  An imbalance of any of these minerals can cause muscle cramps.  Magnesium deficiency is incredibly common in the UK.  Leafy green vegetbles are a good source of magnesium, but only if grown in magnesium rich soil, and most of our soil is depleted in magnesium through intensive farming.  Lime also cancels out magnesium, and UK soil is rich in lime.  Common symptoms of magnesium deficiency are muscle spasms such as eyelid twitches, restless legs, quivering tongue, anxiety, irregular heartbeat.  I see a lot of this in my clinic and supplementation usually sorts out the problem.

Too much sodium can also be a problem.  This is common in the UK diet.  Dehydration too, this will cause a high concentration of sodium in the tissues.  Do you drink your 2 litres per day?

Therefore, before you go to your doctor with back pain, try some of the tips here; a healthy balanced diet, multi vitamin and mineral, magnesium supplements, lots of water, exercise and massage.  I know most of it isn’t the easy answer you want, but the best things need to be worked for!

October 8th, 2009 | Category: Massage, Nutrition | Leave a comment