Health Notes, May 18th 2008, by Sarah Stacey

Wedding diet

There’s a bunch of weddings at YOU this year, and as well as looking divine the thing every bride wants is energy.   Both of these can be a tough task when you have a demanding job and hectic lifestyle.   Sally, 25, felt tired most of the time and also suffered from spots, ‘really bad’ water retention in her legs and cellulite.  So earlier this year, I asked nutritionist and reflexologist Gillian Hamer, who works both in an NHS GP practise and at the Wren Clinic in the city of London, to help.  Here’s Sally’s report:

‘Gillian said my water retention was due (curiously!) to how little water I drank: I could go the whole day without a drop.  I now have two glasses before I leave the house and keep a 1.5 litre bottle of water on my desk, which I sip through each day.   She also suggested dry skin brushing [see below ] every day before showering for the cellulite.

To see if the fatigue could be due to a thyroid problem, my ‘homework’ was to take my temperature first thing each morning, before getting out of bed.  If the average over 15 days came to below 36.55 degrees centigrade it could indicate an underactive thyroid: it was 36.51so Gillian suggested reviewing in three months.

I eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and salads – and few processed foods or alcohol – so no radical changes there.  But Gillian told me never to go without eating for more than three hours, four at the most. I used to rush out of the house and not eat breakfast (canteen porridge) until 10am at my desk.  Now I eat a piece of fruit before I leave the house and carry dried fruit, nuts and seeds as an energising snack.  Instead of a big evening meal, I eat more at lunchtime – to give me more energy during the day and lighten the load on my digestion at night.

Drinking more water and changing my eating patterns made a big difference.  I felt much more sprightly, very quickly.  Gillian also prescribed multivitamin (Femforte by Biocare, £20.50 by 90 capsules, two with breakfast, from Victoria Health, www.victoriahealth.com) and essential oils (Mega GLA Complex by Biocare, £6.10 for soft gels, one with breakfast), plus a two month course of ‘good’ bacteria to help my digestion (Bioacidophilus Forte by Biocare, £24.95 for 30 capsules, one with breakfast) and something to helpdeyox  the liver so my  my whole body could work better(Hepaguard Forte by Biocare, £14.65 for 60 capsules, one with breakfast, one with dinner).

I still wake in the middle of the night worrying but Gillian, who also gave me reflexology (I’m a convert!), helped me see this is the result of an extremely busy lifestyle and an overactive brain.  A colleague recommended Valerina (from the herb valerian), which also has lemon-balm to help you get to sleep quickly – and I can take one tablet if I wake up in the night.  To help me cope with the stress, I’m now taking siberian ginseng (Sibergin by HealthAid, £13.49 for 30 capsules, a months supply) in the morning, plus magnesium, which Gillian says is known as ‘Nature’s tranquilliser’, at night. 

Although I’m still a little tired – who isn’t with work and a wedding? -  I’m in great shape now.  I’m less prone to spots, I’ve lost seven pounds – without looking too skinny, and my cellulite and puffy legs are much improved.

Gillian Hamer, The Wren Clinic, tel: 020 7283 8908, www.wrenclinic.co.uk
£120 of 90 initial consultation, then £60 for 45 minute follow-up

All supplements available from www.victoriahealth.com, with your special 5% discount and free postage for online orders.

The best dry skin brush ever!

Finally!  I’ve found a body brush that’s just the right toughness to make your skin feel invigorated, but not injured.  Try Origins Raffe Body Brush, made in Japan from lightweight sisal fibre, ideal for even the tenderest skins. It’s a great design to use too.  Just £10, tel 0870 034 2888, www.origins.co.uk.

Healthy toothpaste with no fluoride

My thanks to nutritionist Yinka Thomas who told me about Xyliwhite, a fluoride-free toothpaste with xylitol, the natural sweetener that actually strengthens teeth and helps prevent decay, as well as supporting bones. Xyliwhite toothpaste, £4.95 for 181g, in Cinnafresh or Refreshmint flavours, from Victoria Health, www.victoriahealth.com, with free postage for online orders and your special 5% discount.

Website of the week: Foundation for the Study of Infant Death, www.fsid.org.uk

The number of cot deaths in the UK has fallen by 75 per cent since 1991 but it  still claims 300 babies each year.  This website gives practical steps which include not letting anyone smoke in the same room as the baby, placing baby on the back to sleep, and not letting them get too hot.  FSID warns particularly against letting baby sleep in your bed because you might roll over in your sleep and suffocate him or her; or your baby could get caught between the wall and the bed, or roll out of an adult bed and be injured.