Galway Advertiser 2008/GA_2008_01_10/GA_1001_E1_020.pdf 

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Galway Advertiser

January 10 2008

NEWS

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FASHION

BEAUTY

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H E A LT H

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LIFE

MARY
If you vowed this New Year to improve your health then you belong to an ever growing band of people. Many will have attempted to give up cigarettes on January 1, take up exercise, cut back on the cream cakes and become less frazzled. These objectives are more than valid today because despite increased wealth, better diets, and medical advances the health and lives of many people are deteriorating. Some health statistics make sobering reading, according to Dr Mark Atkinson, one of the UK's leading doctors on mind body medicine who lectured in Galway recently. He says the prevalence of depression is soaring, more and more people are suffering from coronary heart disease and obesity levels are rising. "Furthermore, in the last 30 years, the incidence of functional illnesses, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, migraines, attention deficit disorder, unexplained chest pain and post traumatic stress disorder have rocketed." He attributes this to the mismatch between the way we live our lives and the way we are genetically programmed to do so. "Our genetic make-up has changed in the last 30,000 to 40,000 years - we are still hardwired to eat fresh produce, keep physically active and be socially connected through community orientated living. That's a far cry from today's reality of nutrient depleted, processed diets, physical inactivity, social isolation, increasing levels of stress, sleep deprivation, high job anxiety and overburdening electromagnetic pollution." challenge can be a gateway to a whole new level of self awareness and understanding. "Many of my patients reflect on their disease experience and pronounce it as being one of, if not the most, significant turning point in their lives. Disease, when embraced for what it can be - a wake up call - is an invitation to transform the way we live and how we prioritise our life." Knowing what types of food are ideally suited to you is just one half of the equation for total health, he says. The other half is about eating smartly. He urges people to avoid or limit their consumption of crisps, biscuits, doughnuts, margarine, French fries, snack foods and most processed food. These contain trans fatty acids or damaged fats which are linked to heart disease, insulin resistance and Alzheimer's disease.

O'CONNOR
People should consume a mximum of 10 teaspoons or one and a half ounces of sugar a day. "This includes table sugar, processed foods, baked beans, sausages, cheese, beefburgers and cereals. The regular consumption of sugar has been associated with a considerable number of health problems, including attention deficit disorder, suppression of the immune system, obesity, tooth decay, osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes and cancer." Dr Atkinson advises people to avoid sweeteners. He claims there is an increasing body of evidence linking the regular consumption of these with mental agitation, headaches, depression, lower seizure threshold and cancer. He says we need water more than any other nutrient - 75 per cent of the body is water. Rehydrating the body can lift fatigue and a depressed mood, alleviate water retention, prevent the skin sagging and even metabolise fat more efficiently. He recommends eating five portions of fruit and vegetables weekly. "Fresh fruits and vegetables are packed with nutrients, plant chemicals and fibre, all of which are necessary for total health." He advises people to switch to organic foods if they can afford it. "On average, organic food contains higher levels of vitamin C and essential minerals. It also tends to taste better and has much lower levels of pesticides." Dr Athkinson says if you are fairly fit and well and follow healthy eating suggestions you can ease up on your eating plan from time to time. "Eat healthily 80 per cent of the time and enjoy less healthy alternatives 20 per cent of the time. Eating out, getting a takeaway or eating processed food to a maximum of three times a week is OK. If you are facing any health challenges this needs to be reduced to once or twice a week." embracing their message instantly relieves some of the suffering attached to them. * Getting less than seven to eight hours sleep a night is associated with numerous health problems, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, depression, immune suppression and cancer. * Having at least one person that you can share everything with, someone who acts as a witness to your inner world, is one of the most important people you can have in your life. * Develop a spiritual practice. People who have a faith or belong to some kind of religious or spiritual group enjoy better health and greater support than those who do not. * Keeping a pet and taking care of it can provide an invaluable source of connection. Pets do not tend to judge us and answer us back, unlike humans. Keeping a pet has been found to reduce blood pressure, cholesterol levels and loneliness and alleviate some of the symptoms of depression. * Practice appreciation. As you go through your day offer random acts or remarks of appreciation to people you meet. Keep them short, to the point, relevant a n d genuine.

A prescription for total health
Failing to cope
He says our social, chemical, physical, emotional and psychological environment has changed so dramatically that many people are simply failing to cope. This is at the heart of the tidal wave of illnesses that are sweeping the country today. He believes society's current approach to mental health and wellbeing is not working. "The World Health Organisation estimates that 121 million people worldwide have depression and by 2020 it will be the second leading cause of death. Somatization, the process by which stress is expressed as physical symptoms, accounts for between 10 and 30 per cent of visits to GPs. Anxiety now affects one in 10 people and despite dramatic improvements in the standard of living and advances in technology, vast numbers of people remain unhappy and unfulfilled in their lives." Dr Athkinson, the author of The Mind Body Bible which shows people how to transform their health and enrich their lives, says an illness or significant life

Tips to transform your health
* Symptoms are messages from the bodymind alerting you to an imbalance. They are not the enemy but an opportunity to learn something about yourself. Changing your relationship with them can be healing in itself. Fighting and resisting symptoms, such as pains and aches, leads to a vicious circle in which the emotional and psychological component of the experience makes the physical problem worse and vice versa. Accepting the reality of the symptoms and

Lower life expectancy
Refined carbohydrates should be limited to a maximum of three products a week, according to Dr Athkinson. These are found in white bread, white pasta, rolls, pastry, cakes, biscuits, juice drinks and certain breakfast cereals, he says. "There is a lot of evidence linking the consumption of refined carbohydrates with obesity, heart disease, certain cancers, stroke and a lower life expectancy."

COMPETITION

Win a year's supply of vitamins
The Galway Advertiser in association with Evergreen Healthfoods and Solo Nutrition is offering one lucky reader and a friend a year's supply of multivitamins to help them take the first steps towards a healthier lifestyle in 2008. The stresses and strains of the festive season together with day to day activities can be draining and deplete the body of vitamins and minerals, according to Evergreen Healthfoods, exclusive stockists of Solo Nutrition products in Galway. "Solo Nutrition has a wide range of top quality vitamins that can help with digestion, stress, energy levels and circulation to name just a few. There are also supplements for promoting skin, hair and nail health and a range designed specifically for men." The winners will receive a year's supply of Solo Multi Fifty, the top selling multivitamin across the five Evergreen stores. This formula has recently been enhanced with new levels of Coenzyme Q10 which is believed to be the `biochemical spark' that converts food into energy. To enter the competition all you have to do is answer the following question. Who are the exclusive stockists of Solo Nutrition products in Galway? Send your answers by email to competitions@evergreen.i e or by post to Evergreen Competition, 27 Kilkerrin Park, Tuam Road, Galway or pop into any Evergreen store - Barna, Moycullen, Galway Shopping Centre, Westside Shopping Centre and Mainguard Street and fill in a competition form. The closing date for this newspaper's competition is Saturday January 19. To coincide with the competition Solo Nutrition and Evergreen Healthfoods are running an exclusive one week in-store promotion where you can `buy one get one free' on Solo's MultiFifty product.